


Fishing in Alaska

by CaffeinatedFlumadiddle



Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians & Related Fandoms - All Media Types, Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan, The Heroes of Olympus - Rick Riordan
Genre: Angst, Bonding, Family Feels, Gen, He's just a mortal disaster, Humor, I Swear A Lot, I always forget that one, I just want Triton and Percy to be brotherly, I'm back on my bullshit everyone, Jason is here, Poor Percy, Poor guy doesn't really even know how to walk right, Poseidon (Percy Jackson) is a Good Parent, Post-Tartarus (Percy Jackson), Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Sorry for my lame title, Swearing, They will be friends damnit, Triton (Percy Jackson) is a Good Sibling, Triton having no idea how to be human, Unhealthy Coping Mechanisms, Well - Freeform, because running away to Alaska definitely is a coping thing despite what Percy says, don't even worry about it, get ready for post-war mental breakdowns, gonna fix my fave characters' mental health problems one at a time, he gets called out a bit here, he tries to be, he's fine, love that that's a suggested tag lol, sorry - Freeform, the one time this boy tries to be selfish this happens
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-03-11
Updated: 2021-03-15
Packaged: 2021-03-17 22:07:10
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 27,833
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29972973
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CaffeinatedFlumadiddle/pseuds/CaffeinatedFlumadiddle
Summary: “This… this would qualify as a mental breakdown, right?” Triton asked, frowning over his shoulder to where Percy was still fuming in the corner. The lady at the counter curiously glanced over before lifting a questioning brow. “My brother – half-brother, technically, I have much better breeding – decided to run away from home to where our father can’t reach him and now he won’t leave. And now I can’t leave unless he leaves,” Triton continued. Percy opened his mouth to object that wasn’t what happened at all, but the tyrant only waved a hand to silence him. “He’s seen war or whatever, so if you could maybe just drug him then I’ll throw him into a suitcase and we can be out of here by the Summer Solstice!”Silence. Finally, the woman cleared her throat and turned to Percy.“I’m guessing he’s the one you want checked into the mental hospital?” She asked. Triton gasped as Percy punched the air in victory.“Aha!”OrGetting in trouble works a little differently when your parent is an all-powerful god. Sometimes you have to escape to the land beyond gods and get your immortal brother turned human to drag you back so you can be exploded a million pieces. You know, normal teenage stuff.
Relationships: Annabeth Chase/Percy Jackson, Percy Jackson & Poseidon, Percy Jackson & Triton
Comments: 93
Kudos: 384





	1. In Which Percy Grounds Himself… Eternally.

**Author's Note:**

> **Me:** Don't post this until all the chapters are ready.
> 
>  **Me:** Writes three chapters.
> 
>  **Also Me:** ....close enough. 
> 
> I'm weak af. The good news is between now and by the time I have to post chapter three... we'll have chapter four finished! Hopefully 5 and 6 too, but I make no promises yet lol.  
> 

Percy didn’t think he was asking for too much.

And it wasn’t like he was ever in the _habit_ of asking for things. He had fought in two wars. Been a child of two prophecies. Run numerous errands for numerous gods. Aided in quests that weren’t even his. Look, Percy didn’t think it was too much to ask for a teeny-tiny-itty-bitty reprieve.

It wasn’t like he was going away _forever_. Nor was he going to let anyone worry. Annabeth was in this college-prep summer school thing, so they wouldn’t be seeing one another anyways. He would write her and let her know, of course, but other than that it should be fine. His mother needed time with Estelle and Paul _without_ Percy bringing a horde of monsters in, so really there was no reason to go back to New York – _and_ as much as he loved camp… he needed a break.

His friends would be fine for a few months in either camp or New Rome. It was completely, totally, utterly fine if Percy ran off a couple weeks to live in Alaska.

As he said before, he didn’t ask for much… and what he _did_ ask for was rarely given. It seemed impossible for gods to let him in have more than a few days of peace without blowing something or someone up. Therefore, he was going to the one place gods couldn’t apparently reach and having himself a nice little vacation.

Granted, he hadn’t had the _best_ experience last time he had visited, but… it was worth a second shot, right? Right. Maybe could learn to snowboard or befriend seals or… did whatever it is people in Alaska do.

“…and that’s why I won’t be visiting as much,” Percy explained the small group of sea animals gathered around him on the ocean floor outside of camp. “I’ll be back by the end of summer. It’s just Annabeth is doing her summer-school headstart thing – which is amazing – and I really, really need a break,” he reiterated. A few barracudas looked at one another while flurries of _little lord_ and _yes, master_ floated around.

Percy wasn’t sure they really understood, but smiled anyways.

“Thanks,” he said and stretched, letting the water relax him for a moment before giving a long sigh. Despite his wondrous upcoming vacation… he needed to pack. Giving the dolphins a small pat and waving to the turtles, he thrust himself back up to the surface, letting water spray around him as he climbed his way back up to the shallows of the beach.

“I can’t believe you’re really doing this,” Rachel said from where she was patiently waiting for him. “Chiron would be so mad-”

“That’s why you shouldn’t tell him,” Percy said, shaking out his hair. He could, in theory, dry it with a wave of his hand, but the coolness of it on the back of his neck felt nice. Rachel fixed him with a stern look, but it quickly melted away. “It’s just a couple weeks. It’ll be fine. You can come with me!”

“Annabeth wouldn’t like that.”

“She trusts me,” Percy objected and Rachel gave a small shrug as she followed him back up towards the cabins.

“Well, I need to be here either way. I doubt my oracle mojo would work if I was in the _godless_ _lands_ ,” she said dramatically, wiggling her fingers. Percy snickered in return. “I’ll let the others know and keep anyone from following you,” she promised and then reconsidered. “Unless it’s Nico. I can’t really stop Nico.”

“Nico won’t care,” Percy said. If anyone would understand needing an escape… it was Nico. Besides, he was too preoccupied with, uh, other things to really worry much over Percy at the moment. He smiled fondly as he eyed the Apollo cabin in the distance. Hazel and Frank weren’t expecting him in New Rome anytime soon, and Piper and Leo would be cool with it, surely… and why wouldn’t they be? It was a small vacation in Alaska. Nobody should care. Nobody _would_ care.

“Uh huh. Be safe, Percy,” Rachel told him and gave him a quick hug before setting off towards her gremlin cave. Shaking his head, he turned towards his own cabin to grab his bag. He had been hoarding warmer clothes for months now in preparation.

Percy considered himself a pretty good packer at this point. Endless quests and learning to live off of nothing would do that you. With that in mind, he set to work to get everything he needed in under thirty minutes. Annabeth would have been proud.

Yanking up his bag, he flung it over his shoulder and peered out of the window. It wasn’t quite curfew yet, but late enough that everyone would be gathered around the campfire and not near his cabin to see him creep out. Still, he went through the window… just in case.

Step one was officially completed. Now, he just had to head to the stables to get Blackjack and-

“Going somewhere?”

Damnit. The wind shifted and the sea went still for a moment. Slowly, Percy turned – a little bewildered. He knew that voice… it just hadn’t been one he was expecting at this moment in time.

“Hey, dad!” He said brightly, giving a small wave. Please, please, _please_ don’t have a quest… Percy idly considered the irony that his dad _would_ choose the one time he didn’t actually want to see him to visit. The Fates must be planning a comedy special or something.

Poseidon’s eyes trailed over him slowly – sharp and unamused. Percy frowned in return. He was under no false pretenses that his dad was… you know, powerful and ancient and not always easy-going, but… compared to the other gods? He was a smidge more laid back. Percy tended to get a smile or at least the illusion of humor.

“I was told you plan to leave for the land beyond gods.”

Percy stared.

“How do you know that?” He asked. It hadn’t been a _huge_ secret… and (as previously stated) his father was an all-powerful being, but also… what in the name of Hades had sold him out? Poseidon nodded towards the water.

“The barracudas. They were quite concerned.”

Percy couldn’t believe this. The blasted fish _snitched_ on him to his _dad_. That was low – and insulting. Even by mortal standards, Percy was old enough to be making his own decisions. He would be eighteen soon enough, which made him a bonafide adult… sort of.

Whatever. He would confront the traitors later.

“Yeah, I’m thinking I’ll be there awhile so… if you need something….” He gestured, hoping that wouldn’t be perceived as rude. “Sir,” he tacked on - just in case. “I mean, if it isn’t anything dangerous I’m sure another camper would be honored-”

“I am not here for a favor.”

Oh. Okay. Percy frowned… then what the Hell? Poseidon must have read his mind because his expression went stony and the waves seemed to whip back and forth dangerously. Percy let his eyes flick over them before turning to Poseidon again.

“I see,” he said politely. “Well, in that case-”

“Perseus, you are not going to where you cannot be reached.”

Interesting. Very… interesting. The funny thing was that Percy was pretty sure he _was_. Had Alaska been destroyed somehow? Lost? Sunk to the bottom of the ocean? Swallowed by an ancient snake? He waited for an explanation, but that seemed to be all Poseidon had to offer. Just a ‘no, you’re not going’ and then waiting for Percy to merrily accept this. He adjusted his bag on his shoulder.

“But you just said you didn’t need anything,” he pointed out and then took a long breath. His dad and him had been on pretty good terms in the past, but recently… well, perhaps Poseidon was not aware that Percy’s attitude towards him was slowly shifting. At any rate, right now he got the feeling it was best to take the more formal approach. “Father, if there is an issue while I’m gone then I can have another demigod contact me to come back-”

“You are not going where _I_ cannot reach _you_ ,” Poseidon clarified flatly. Percy took a moment to digest that. Was… was he…? Was he _actually_ implying that Poseidon needed to protect _him?_ As if that wasn’t that wouldn’t be the most ridiculous thing the Fates had ever come up with. “If you are attacked you cannot receive my – or any other god’s aid,” he continued. Percy blinked a few times. Right. Yeah. Sure.

“Good… point,” he said and tried to smile. “But I won’t _be_ attacked if there are no gods,” he reasoned. “Besides, I’ve handled my fair share of monsters before. I doubt there will be any up there that will pose a problem.”

There. He was very flattered by the concern… a little. Not really, actually. He was a little annoyed by it. Sure, his dad helped out on the occasional adventure. Lent Percy a helping hand whenever he was on the brink of death. That was all during _quests_. You know, the little errands Percy ran to make him look good or keep the world from descending into nothing. It wasn’t like Poseidon had really ever protected him just because. They didn’t have the kind of relationship. Couldn’t. 

“You did not live through so much only to die because you are out of my reach,” Poseidon informed him, sounding as irritated as Percy felt. “If you wish to travel then stay where others can aid you. Preferably, myself.”

Oh, yeah, sure because Poseidon loved to just pop up and visit. The audacity (look at _that_ SAT word, Annabeth) was really something.

“I think-”

“This is the end of the discussion.”

Okay, _wow_. Percy bit his tongue. Back in the day, schools often showed those typical coming-of-age films for students who probably needed some relatable content for their normal, mortal lives. Percy was aware that most teenagers usually had some sort of angry breakdown during their lives where they might freak out and say they hate their parents or whatever.

Yeah, right, so… Percy couldn’t really _do_ that without being blown up. One of the (many) perks to demigod life is that if you act too hormonal then you might just have a loving parent vaporize you into nothing.

That being said… part of Percy wondered if it would be worth it. He lived almost two years longer than expected anyways. Maybe telling the king of the seas to fuck off was the way he was always meant to go. And you know what? Maybe he would have if Poseidon didn’t just vanish.

He vanished. He _vanished_. Percy stood there, absolutely dumbfounded.

That was it? He just told Percy to abandon his plans and assumed his word would be taken as gospel? Didn’t bother to listen to his thoughts on the matter? Didn’t even give a better reason other than needing to be nearby in case… what? What could this world possibly throw at him that Percy hadn’t already tackled ( _without_ Poseidon’s help)? Unless there was another giant waiting for him… he was good.

Huh. Well then. Percy let his bag drop onto the ground with a thunk.

Honestly, if anyone else had asked him not to go… he wouldn’t. Rachel thought he was crazy, but if she had asked him to stay he would. If his mom had frowned and said she didn’t like the idea then he wouldn’t dare to even leave the state. If Annabeth said she wanted him to be with her then he would pop by her university no questions asked. Hell, if freaking Magnus Chase or Carter Kane or a number of other people jumped out at him and say ‘eh, we would prefer if you didn’t’ then he _wouldn’t_. Percy knew he was dismissing Chiron’s feelings on the matter by not telling him, but that was different. Chiron would lecture him and give his usual brand of sage advice, but in the end he would tell Percy to do what he wanted, so, really, Percy was just trying to avoid the sermon.

But _this?_ How was he supposed to respond to this? Scratch that, he knew how he was _supposed_ to respond. The longer Percy stood there though… the more certain he was that it would not be happening that way. Assuming Percy flew to Alaska on Blackjack, it wasn’t like there were any other sea creatures to tell on him. It wasn’t like there was anyone to stop him. And what was his father going to do? He couldn’t reach him in those oh-so-dangerous godless lands now, could he?

A much more reasonable voice in the back of his mind (perhaps his common sense) was letting siren noises go off. This was stupid. Don’t do it. You’re overreacting. No teenage meltdowns. The end result wasn’t going to be getting grounded for a month – it very well might be getting eaten alive.

Percy didn’t often listen to common sense unless it had Annabeth’s voice.

Giving an indignant ‘humph’ of offense, Percy picked up his bag and marched off to find Blackjack. The voice warned him was being impulsive again, but the thing about being impulsive… is that you just did stuff without much thought. That was the definition anyways and Annabeth liked to tell him he was the textbook definition of the word.

 _Hey boss,_ Blackjack greeted him brightly. _Ready to go? Got snacks? For you… and me? Lots for me too?_

Percy smiled. He was glad that Poseidon hadn’t popped up to tell his Pegasus not to bring him or anything. That would have sucked. Grabbing an apple, he held it out for him to chomp down. Absently, he ran his hand over his neck, looking thoughtfully at the sea rolling outside of camp.

“How long do you think it’ll take us to get there?” He asked. Preferably, Percy would like to be there before anyone realized what he was doing, but if it would hurt Blackjack-

_Eh. Not too long. I’m magical and awesome… A little over a day?_

Percy could work with a day. The only risk was Zeus zapping him out of the sky, but he doubted Poseidon was having daily chats with his brother in which his name was brought up. He snorted at the mental image, picturing his father using a conch shell as a phone while Zeus sat on the other side of the line eating grapes.

_“And I told Perseus not to go! So, if you see him flying by be sure to strike him down for me, darling brother of mine!”_

_“Oh ho! I believe I see the boy now – should I turn him into a tree like my daughter or would you prefer something aquatic themed?”_

_“Hm… maybe just give him a good dose of your master bolt. He was due for a taste sooner or later anyways.”_

Percy chuckled into Blackjack’s mane. The Pegasus gave a small snort of confusion, but Percy only smiled and threw a leg over his back. The sirens were still going off… however, they were loudly overshadowed by the feeling of sharp indignation that had settled in his chest. God or not, if Poseidon couldn’t intervene in his life the first sixteen years then he had no business intervening the next sixteen years. He tightened his backpack.

“Come on, Blackjack. To Alaska!”

* * *

Percy was an idiot. A dead idiot. A dead, dead, _dead_ idiot.

Who just _casually_ disobeyed one of the most powerful beings in the world? Percy knew he would have to go back to New York eventually… and a very pissed god would be waiting. What was he supposed to tell his poor mother? Annabeth? Gods, Grover was going to be so annoyed with him…

He was lucky Blackjack loved him enough to actually take him to Alaska and not go find Poseidon like a typical traitor would (ahem, _barracudas_ ). Rubbing his temples, Percy looked around the vast land around him and grimaced. You would think at some point throughout the nine-hour ride that Percy would have realized this was dumb and turn around… no. It was only when Blackjack’s hooves crunched against the snow of one of the higher mountains that Percy fully felt the weight of his decision come crashing down on him.

On the bright side… Alaska was beautiful. Percy might actually enjoy it if it weren’t for the fact he had just signed his own death warrant. He doubted prayers would go through, but felt vaguely tempted to maybe throw one out to see if Poseidon’s anger might somehow reach this far north. He mulled over his next move as he trudged down the mountain, chewing his lip as he used the snow to carry him down quickly until he eventually caught sight of the city he had asked Blackjack to drop him off near. He let his powers ease and walked a little faster towards what he hoped was a hotel.

“You look like you’re about to pass out,” a voice said and Percy turned to see a woman curiously staring at him in a bundle of blankets. Percy fixed her with an exhausted smile. “Do you know where you’re going, sweetheart?” She asked. Percy shook his head. “Alright, let’s go then,” she said and walked over to link their arms. Percy eyed her warily. Monster? Giant? Titan? God?

The answer was none. Her name was Lorie and Percy decided without hesitation that he adored her. Within three hours of meeting her he had a small apartment rented for three months, food, and a decent amount of furniture. Percy figured she was too nice to be anything magical… and far too useful.

“I do it all the time, sweetheart. Tourists who decide to stay aren’t uncommon here,” she pointed out. Percy shrugged, tucking away his credit card. It was actually one of those endless credit cards from the Lotus Casino. Annabeth had given hers to that driver on their quest and Percy threw his away, but Nico happened to still have his. Given that Nico was apparently now a rich kid it only took a little needling to get him to let Percy borrow his.

“Still. I appreciate it,” he said and rubbed a hand through his hair. “I might honestly be here longer than I planned,” he admitted and Lorie raised an eyebrow. “I, uh, made my dad pretty mad before I left. Don’t think he’s going to want me back anytime soon and if he gets the rest of my family involved… I definitely can’t leave,” He said dryly. Lorie scoffed.

“I doubt it. Fathers always act angry, but they would never want you gone,” she said and Percy inwardly snickered. Maybe that was true, but Lorie didn’t know that the random Level 5 hurricane they just saw on the news chilling in the middle of the ocean was probably named ‘Perseus’ for a reason. He truly, _truly_ hoped it stayed out in the middle of the ocean and didn’t touch land… he doubted his father would be cruel enough to bring others into this, but if he did... Percy would have to head back if it moved. There was no way he could live with the guilt if there was any collateral damage.

His stomach twisted a bit. He needed to remember that his dad was more than their limited interactions. Greek myths had been written about him fairly extensively… and he wasn’t always the good guy.

“Well, I’m sure I’ll eventually find out,” Percy said a little doubtfully. Honestly, this was ridiculous. He wanted a goddamn vacation and now there was a very real chance he might be living in exile. Rubbing his eye, he gave Lorie one last wave before looking around his new apartment and grimacing. Right. Time to face the music…

He brought out his phone and dialed. Oh, yeah. He had a phone now. Leo decided to be the best person in the world and made celestial bronze cellphone cases that kept monsters from finding them. He had also made him a similar laptop case for Percy’s birthday. He had been thrilled at the time, but now that he was pressing dial to surely be yelled at… Leo’s invention didn’t seem so great.

“What did you do?”

“Hey, wise girl,” Percy greeted and collapsed on the couch beside him. “So, you know how I’m an idiot?” He asked and glanced around. Were there many monsters still in Alaska? He figured there would be less with the giants gone… then again. He might be the only demigod for miles so his smell would be pretty pungent.

“Please tell me you didn’t pick a fight with a god,” Annabeth sighed and he could hear her rummaging around. Despite everything, it made Percy smile to hear the crinkle of paper and shuffling of drawers. When Percy’s silence filled the air, she sighed again. “Which god?”

“Uh, my dad?”

There was a long pause.

“…that explains the random hurricane on the news,” she finally said. “Your father likes you. Why is he angry?”

Percy looked around the apartment again and clicked his tongue.

“Probably because he told me not to go to Alaska… and then I went to Alaska. Enough about me though. How are things at school?”

“Wait. What? Alas-”

“Are you living in a dorm already? There were dorms at Yancy. I’ll warn you right now not to leave your food in an accessible place-”

“You’re in _Alaska?”_ Annabeth demanded. Percy grimaced. “I thought you were kidding about that! Percy, why? I… are you…? Give me a second,” she said. Percy waited. “I love you… but you frustrate me so badly sometimes,” she muttered. “What exactly happened?”

So, Percy told her. Annabeth was a pretty good listener. It was nice to have someone to rant too and know that even if she thought he was a complete idiot that she would be on his side. Sure enough, the moment he finished there was another couple seconds of nothing before Annabeth gave a sympathetic humph.

“He does have a lot of nerve acting like you can’t go where you want,” she said and Percy threw his hand up. Finally! Someone who gets it. “We went to Greece on a flying boat. We went to _Tartarus_. Even outside of him struggling with his Roman form we did lots of dangerous stuff in the past… Hell, we fought alongside Egyptians. If there was a time to put his foot down it would be then. Why is he suddenly involved?” She asked. Percy hit his leg.

“I love you so damn much.”

“You still handled this badly,” Annabeth said. Her voice seemed torn between amused and distressed. Not an unusual tone for someone speaking to Percy. “If anyone is allowed to have that much nerve… it would be him. Why didn’t you just go to your mom’s?” She asked and Percy ran a hand through his hair.

“I don’t know,” he admitted. “I really wasn’t thinking. I just wanted some _privacy_. The way he was talking made it sound like he was always checking up on me and – I mean, maybe that’s supposed to be nice? But maybe I just got a little prideful at the idea he thought he was taking care of me. Like I haven’t been almost dying for seventeen years straight. Like I didn’t have my memories wiped after being _kidnapped_ ,” he added bitterly. Annabeth gave a soft hum on the other end of the phone.

“You’ve survived this far because you’re powerful, brave, and sometimes even a little smart,” she assured him. Percy smiled weakly. “But right and wrong doesn’t really matter with the gods. I’ll reach out to Chiron. Maybe he can mediate. Until then, maybe just stay there until things cool down. Are you someplace safe?”

Percy looked around again. Not a monster in sight.

“Pretty sure I’m good. I’ll be careful though,” he said softly. “And it isn’t like a god can come by to bother me,” he added brightly. Annabeth chuckled. “But seriously, I do want to know about school… also, we need to talk as long as possible because I’m calling my mom next and upsetting Poseidon is one thing, but her? I don’t know…”

“If she’s sad you have to come back even if you are murdered.”

“Agreed.”

* * *

So, Alaska was great and Percy wouldn’t mind living here forever.

Maybe if Annabeth liked it then they could. The monsters were there, but pretty scarce and there were no gods to bother him for quests or wars. Not a single one! The only real downside was that his friends and family weren’t there with him, but he had already called almost everyone. The general consensus was that he was an idiot, but people would try to fan the flames for him.

“I can charmspeak your dad,” Piper had offered as Jason gave her a _horrified_ look during the FaceTime call. He spluttered for a moment as Percy gave a delighted laugh at the offer.

“You cannot charmspeak Poseidon."

“I did it with Gaea!” She said and shrugged to Percy. “I’ll try it for you.”

“Piper, _no-_ ” Jason began, distressed, and turned to Percy. “Tell her no!”

“We’ll keep that as a last resort,” Percy snorted and Piper grinned at him as Jason muttered lowly under his breath while glowering between them. From somewhere in the background, there was a yell and Nico also appeared on screen. “Hi, Nico.”

“So, it’s true. You’ve escaped,” he greeted. “My dad asked if this was a demigod rebellion and if I was going to Alaska too.”

“It can be.”

“It absolutely cannot be!” Jason said and swung around to point a finger at Nico. “Don’t-”

“I’m _kidding_ , Jason. We all know I’m screwed. Besides, it isn’t like Nico can escape his dad for long,” he added thoughtfully. “Unless you become immortal or something.” He reasoned. Nico flipped him off. “What? Just saying. If Poseidon hates me that much then I can at least avoid him for eternity when I die.”

“He doesn’t _hate_ you,” Piper tried to reassure him. “I’m sure you’re not the first demigod who has had… uh, teenage… angst?” She said. Percy looked at her. “I don’t know what to call the savior of Olympus running off to Alaska after an argument with the sea god, Percy.”

Eh. Fair enough.

“We’ll call it a coping mechanism.”

“Let me know if it works,” Nico said and when Jason turned to him, raised a finger. “It was a _joke._ Don’t start.”

“…I’m talking to Will about this later,” Jason said under his breath. Nico glowered in return. “Are you sure you’re okay up there?” Jason continued, refocusing on Percy. “We can figure out something. Maybe send Coach Hedge or-”

“I’m fine,” Percy promised. “It’s really nice up here. I’ll call Hazel and she can tell me what places to visit,” he shrugged. Jason gave an approving nod.

“You can try where she died,” Nico told him helpfully. “If you want a good glimpse into your future.”

“Is Will around?” Percy threw back conversationally. “I’m just realizing him and I haven’t gotten to hang out much yet. I haven’t had a chance to tell him about how sweet you were when we first met. Do you think he likes Mythomagic too?” He asked innocently. Nico’s eyes narrowed. “I’ll let you know if he can surf-”

“I hope a moose eats you.”

“Never forget I’m one of the few people who met you as an adorable kid. I will always have blackmail on you,” Percy said with a sweet smile. Nico made a noise of disgust before stomping off towards the infirmary. Percy snorted. In truth, Will would be downright besotted to learn Nico had been (and probably still was deep down) a massive dork. He wasn’t going to tell Nico that though. Being one of the only people who remembered young Nico was the only leverage he had with him sometimes.

“You’re really okay?” Piper pressed. Percy bit his lip. While he _did_ love Alaska during his brief stay so far… To be completely honest, it was a… _different_ place compared to New York. He wasn’t sure how he was going adjust, but hey. No demigod battles to the death? He would work it out.

“Peachy,” he told her, hoping it was true.

…and it was true. Sort of.

It was about two weeks later that Percy had began to settle into a routine. It was kind of weird to learn how to live when you had… no responsibilities. It was weird. Really weird. Too weird at times. No monsters to fight? No people to save? It left him too much time to think.

The first few days were awful – full of guilt because he _should_ be helping other demigods get to camp or New Rome. He should be making sure his mother was doing okay with Estelle. He should be teaching new campers how to use a sword or visiting Tyson or checking in with Grover, but no. No, he was here because he was childish and selfish and –

Nope. No. He had to busy himself or risk falling into a pit of despair. The nightmares were already bad enough. He had hoped they would get a little better with no gods to spur them along, but it appeared most of visits to Tartarus in the night were purely just trauma. Maybe he should call Nico or Annabeth and ask how they were doing with them… Percy felt like he had tried everything with no results.

Then again, nobody really talked about Tartarus. It felt too risky, in a way. Like saying it would make it more real.

“If you can survive _that_ then this is nothing,” he told himself, somewhat doubtfully. Then set to work.

Fun fact: The Institute of Marine Sciences was in Alaska.

Percy would admit that actually _seeking out_ educational opportunities wasn’t really this thing, but maybe Annabeth had been a bad influence. Either way, he had kind of conned his way into an internship position mainly to just chill with the animals.

“You wouldn’t rat me out to my father, would you?” He asked a tank of fish that he most certainly was going to break out of this lab at the first given chance. The fish didn’t seem to be preoccupied with ratting him out since they kept cooing brightly at his presence.

He wasn’t sure the whales would be so reliable. Percy wondered if it even worked that way. Could Poseidon send up sea animals to spy on him and report back? He considered it from his place at end of a dock, watching the beach curl around the island. Mountains towered high as Percy looked at the water with heavy consideration. After a few minutes of deliberation, he kicked off his shoes and dipped a toe into the icy water.

“Um… dad?” He called tentatively. There was little chance any god could hear him, but if anyone _could_ reach out to him in so-called godless lands… it would be one of the Big Three. The water sloshed around, but there was ultimately nothing. Percy sighed. He wasn’t sure if he was relieved or disappointed.

This was relatively short-lived considering a second later the earth trembled. For a moment his chest went cold – memories of Gaea whispering beneath the surface before the water swirled as a reminder that she wasn’t the only one who could shake the Earth. Percy grimaced. Maybe he didn’t want to talk to his dad after all. Still, he put his foot back in.

All at once, he felt a surge of… something. It was hot and loud and _demanding_ and – Percy yanked himself back out of the water with a scowl. Perhaps Poseidon wasn’t able to fully communicate given the circumstances, but he didn’t quite appreciate the whirlpool. What was he trying to do? Suck him down? Gritting his teeth, Percy reminded himself not to be an idiot.

“Have you considered that maybe you’re being the immature one here?” Percy asked, kneeling down to stick his hand in the water because apparently the ‘don’t be an idiot’ thing didn’t stick. The world shuddered. Percy looked over his shoulder – a little worried buildings might come down or – gods forbid – an avalanche, but the most that happened was some trashcans getting knocked over.

Groaning, he fell back and scowled at the sky.

He couldn’t do this forever. At some point he needed to see his friends and family again, right? Rubbing his eyes, he sat back up and marched back into town. Lorie was waiting for him, humming to herself as he walked into the door of the coffee shop he had learned she owned so that the bells attached to the door jangled.

“Adjusting?” She asked him pleasantly as she slid him a cup. Percy offered a weak smile as he mulled that over. Adjusting… maybe? He wasn’t sure. His life was full of adjustments. In truth, perhaps the most troubling part of Alaska was the consistency. He didn’t quite know how to handle it.

“I’m not sure,” he admitted. Lorie fixed him a warm smile before nodding at a figure towards the other end of the shop with slightly pursed lips.

“Do you know him?” She asked. Percy followed her gaze. The man didn’t look familiar. Then again, it was hard to make out most of him given the layers of clothing and the fact his back was turned. “He said he was looking for you. I thought he might know your father or something,” she told him. Percy tensed – a little startled by the last comment before remembering he had mentioned his father to her.

“Looking for me?” Percy repeated and rolled his shoulders back. His instinct was to get into fighting position, but he tried to quell his impulses and instead gave Lorie a nod. Maybe this was someone Chiron sent? It wasn’t impossible. He hadn’t talked to his mentor yet, but knew he was due for a call soon… and probably a massive telling off.

He would probably get a lot of those before this was all over.

Percy pushed out of his chair, grabbing his coffee to move towards the stranger. He tried to look for any weapons or claws, but the bulky jacket made it hard to be sure so he made sure to keep standing as he put his coffee cup on the table next to him.

“Hello?” He called and the man turned slightly at the sound of his voice. “I’m Percy. Lorie said you were looking for me?” He asked and the figure turned. Percy tried to get a good look at his face, but he stood up so fast that his whole body was pretty much a blur. “Great,” he breathed out.

The man walked over towards him, eying him in such a way that Percy was positive that this guy knew he was a demigod. It couldn’t have been a god though. A monster, perhaps? He put a hand on Riptide.

“Perseus Jackson?” The man asked and Percy nodded, stiffening as he waited. The man inched closer. Right. He seemed normal… for now. Though his voice _did_ kind of seem familiar. Like he had maybe heard it altered? No, that didn’t make sense. Still, it was the only analogy he could think of. “I have a message for you,” the man informed him calmly. Oh, great. A threat? A promise? A sentence? Or maybe it was from Chiron saying things had been resolved?

Before he had a chance to ponder on it more, the man suddenly jumped forward and decked him.

Which… alright. Fair enough.

Percy barely had a chance to react. There was a flash of sharp pain and a continued throbbing as that pain seemed to melt into his cheek. Pressing his hand to his face, he stood back up to meet furious eyes. His eyes. For a moment, he almost tripped backwards because if this was _Poseidon_ he was so, so, screwed.

Only… it wasn’t Poseidon. At least, not a form Poseidon had ever appeared to him in. Not to mention this guy was completely mortal. Semi-mortal? Percy couldn’t tell. He was too busy drinking him in. He didn’t look too much older than him – early twenties maybe? His hair was long and black, kept into a loose ponytail that went a little past his shoulders and –

Holy shit. There… there was no way… Percy tilted his head, trying in vain to match this human appearance to the godly version he had met a few years ago.

“Triton?” He whispered. The narrowing eyes served as an answer. “I – how are you here?” He asked, bewildered as he took in his brother. “Why are you, um, not… you know?” He asked lamely. Triton bristled – eyes sharp and full of unrestrained hate.

“Why am I _mortal?”_ He asked, practically foaming at the mouth. “What an excellent question, Perseus. Why do _you_ think I’m mortal?” He asked. Percy stared. He wasn’t going to like the answer, he was pretty sure. Luckily, Triton’s question appeared to be rhetorical because he continued without waiting for Percy. “Probably because _you_ decided to disobey a _god’s orders_ and I was sent to retrieve you. Only, gods can’t exactly come here, can they? So, our father’s _great_ problem-solving included turning me mortal until I bring you _back_.”

Oh… ohhhhh no. That was bad. Very bad.

“Ah,” Percy said and rubbed the back of his neck. “Um, I… Triton, look, I am so sorry you got dragged into this-”

“Great!” Triton said and crossed his arms over his chest. “Grab your stuff so we can go.”

Right. Percy looked at him. Triton and him had never been on friendly terms. In total, they’ve maybe actually seen one another like… three times? Each time included Triton’s passive aggressive comments and snide remarks about his mother. So, quite frankly, Percy wasn’t all that inclined to help out.

 _Selfish,_ a voice whispered in the back of his mind. _Haven't you caused enough problems already? Look at what you've done-_

Percy swallowed, cutting off the voice sharply. Look, logically speaking, the absolute worst thing Percy could do to his half-brother was wait a few more peaceful years and _then_ return for Triton to get his godhood back before being pummeled to death. What’s a few years to immortal being like Triton anyhow? And that was _worst_ case scenario... most likely Chiron would call by the end of the week and tell him to come home. Percy didn’t have to go right now. Besides, if he was continuing on this immature streak of his then he would deeply enjoy seeing the god act as a mere mortal for a bit longer. Percy held out a cup.

“Coffee?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Does Percy seem slightly off to you? Good. I need him on the precipice of hysteria to fix what Rick did to my boy lol. 
> 
> Shoutout to everyone on [ my tumblr](https://caffeinatedflumadiddlebutpjo.tumblr.com/) who have enabled me with this idea. Hopefully I'll remember to post a link next time I'm filling up my queue so y'all know I actually made this lol.


	2. Percy Fights Some Kabobs and Deals with Godly Relatives.

Poor Triton really did try to get Percy out of Alaska.

The thing was… turning Triton mortal proved to be a poor move on Poseidon’s part. While, _technically,_ Triton could be labeled as a demigod, he didn’t have much in terms of godly strength at the moment. Percy was able to stubbornly remain perfectly in place during the three hours Triton tried various ways of getting Percy out of the café and on a boat, plane, pegasus, etc., to no avail. It was… a little fun. Just a little. Especially, since… you know. It didn’t appear as if Triton had spent much time on land.

“…you really don’t know how to tie your shoes?”

“I’m going to eviscerate you,” Triton growled, spinning around with burning eyes. The world trembled a bit, but Percy held up his hand to stop it. The movement made Triton’s face darken so that his fingers twitched, and he turned back to his feet. “I’m done playing nice, you know.”

“Yeah, sure,” Percy yawned and glanced at his watch. He should be getting back to his apartment soon. He still wanted to try snowboarding tomorrow.

“Perseus, I didn’t want to do this, but I _command_ you-”

“Dude, I can’t take you seriously with your shoes on the wrong feet,” Percy told him, and Triton faltered.

“Wrong…? Please,” Triton scoffed. “Human feet are all the same-”

“No. There is definitely a right shoe and a left shoe. Yours are on backwards.”

“Your lies will not distract me,” Triton insisted and glared down at his legs. Percy shrugged. Whatever. If he wanted to walk around like a dumbass, then so be it. “You will return to Atlantis with me before the sun rises or face the consequences.” He finished coldly. Percy very much wanted to know what ‘the consequences’ Triton intended to carry out were.

“Uh-huh, well, I’m going to bed,” Percy told him and stood up from the table they were still occupying at Lorie’s café. Why she let them stay after that brief brawl was beyond him – possibly because she was an angel. Percy would have to introduce her to his mom. They would get along. “Do you have someplace to stay?” He asked.

“I – you-?” Triton spluttered. “Of course, not! We’re leaving!”

…damnit. That was a good point. Percy grimaced. Triton would absolutely die in his mortal form just strolling about like this. Was this Poseidon’s plan? For Percy to either return with Triton or leave the guy die? Horrible. He watched as Triton scrambled up clumsily, almost tripping several times. Apparently, walking on land was still new to him. Poor fish.

Percy had never wanted to use the expression ‘walk much?’ more in his entire life.

“You can come with me,” he said, already hating himself for it. Triton fixed outraged eyes onto him. “You’ll have to come with me,” he sighed. Triton scoffed.

“I think not,” he said and crossed his arms over his chest. “It is one thing to humor your silly little temper tantrum, but quite another to aid in it.”

“You’re going to freeze out there,” Percy told him. Triton shook his head. “You won’t be allowed to stay in the café and I doubt you know where else to go.”

“I will manage,” Triton muttered. Percy threw up his hands. Oh, whatever. No one can say he didn’t try. Grabbing his backpack, he flung it over his shoulder with a warm smile towards where Lorie was curiously watching them. She returned it hesitantly. “You can’t keep this up forever. I know you won’t stay away from your darling mortal mother.” Triton added and Percy had to reach deeply towards his special pocket of patience he usually had for gods.

“My friends are helping me with that.”

“Because demigods are a reliable method,” Triton chuckled and Percy couldn’t help himself at that one. He spun back around, almost whacking another customer with his bag as he did so.

“Demigods aren’t _reliable?”_ He demanded and Triton raised a stupidly perfect eyebrow at him. “I’m sorry, who do you think does all the gods’ dirty work?” He asked. Triton leaned back. He seemed pleased to have finally found a sore spot. It should have made Percy take a step back, but he was way too incredulous at the moment.

“Ah, mortals,” he mused. “I’m sure you do consider your odd jobs to be dirty work-”

“Sure. Yeah. A _war_ isn’t dirty work. What exactly were you doing again that was _so_ much more important?” He asked. Triton only smiled at him. Percy felt his blood boil. Did all gods think this way? Percy tried to swallow the bitterness rising in his throat. He thought of Bianca. Bianca and Silena and Lee and Charles and –

The list was too long. Too long and too painful and the idea Triton considered their lives nothing more than casualties of something small and trivial made him want to break his nose.

“Well,” Percy said – now resolved to leave and forget about Triton completely. “I’m so honored to be important enough for the _heir_ of Poseidon’s kingdom to come collect me,” he said. Triton’s eyes narrowed. “Let me know when you inherit that by the way. I’m sure those Disney movies will keep you from fading away before dad for sure.”

That was mean. He knew the second the words left his mouth. Percy – while impulsive and snappy on a normal basis – usually wasn’t too cruel with his jabs. This one seemed to hit something since Triton flinched back for a moment before quickly schooling his expression. Hatred glimmered under the surface. Percy didn’t wait for the response. He left.

“Is this your idea of a joke?” He demanded, walking back to the dock and sticking his hand directly in the water. He didn’t care if Poseidon could hear him. He just wanted to vent even if it was to empty ears. That tended to be how conversations with his dad went anyways. One-sided without the reassurance that anyone was actually listening. “Are you going to _annoy_ me into coming back?” He asked and scowled into the waters’ depths, taking in the wrinkles and waves. “You could have at least sent Tyson,” he muttered and glanced down at where some fish were staring at him. "If you happen to see any barracudas down there, you better warn them that I plan on feeding them to my friends," he mumbled, thinking of how much Hazel enjoyed seafood. Normally, he hated it, but would make an exception for the traitors. The fish stared. "I wouldn't really, but I blame them for this entirely," he said.

Getting up, he stared out across water – rolling out towards the horizon with mountains reaching towards the sky. Both seemingly endless and impossible to reach. Sighing, he turned away. He missed Annabeth. She would know how to handle this all so much better than him.

Maybe he would call her again… if she wasn’t busy. He probably shouldn’t bother her too much though.

“ _…unusual aquatic action out there today, Ted.”_ A voice said and Percy almost tripped to turn back to the TV sitting in the outdoor seating area of some restaurant. “ _Can you tell us about more about what’s going on?”_

Oh no.

“ _Well, we still have that hurricane in the middle of the Atlantic,”_ a voice responded and Percy grimaced as he stepped a little closer to see a weatherman gesturing at various maps. _“It hasn’t moved at, which is a little strange in itself. What’s really puzzling us right now are the waves. The patterns of ocean waves are fairly consistent depending on location. However, this morning that change happened when-”_

“When the god of waves got sent to Alaska,” Percy sighed. Great. Just great. The mist couldn’t cover up something as simple as _waves?_ What the Hell were they even talking about? How could waves be different? He let out a small noise of disgust. He needed to call Chiron…

…tomorrow. He would call Chiron tomorrow. Right now felt like too much energy. He hadn’t slept well the past few nights and doubted this one would be any different. Dragging himself back home, he tried not to think of hurricanes or wayward waves or his friends or Poseidon or Triton or-

“Damnit,” he whispered to the darkness and got up. He wasn’t sure what the game plan was. To wander? Hope something hard hit him over the head to knock him out? Percy scratched the back of his neck before heading towards the kitchen. It felt too late to call anyone… what time zone was he in again? Maybe someone in New York was awake – no, it would be later there, wouldn’t it?

Groaning, he placed his head to the counter and tried to focus on breathing. Him and Annabeth both had some lung issues post-Tartarus. Percy suspected Nico did too, but Will wouldn’t confirm because of ‘patient confidentiality’ or whatever. It was hard not to be a little messed up after breathing in that toxic air, but Percy swore William Solace was a miracle worker. They had both improved a lot throughout the months. Enough that Percy felt confident that one day he would be able to breathe without that slight discomfort again.

Right now, though? There were times where it felt like he was drowning.

Maybe he should visit Blackjack. His horse was probably nearby and… Percy’s eyes flicked to the window. No, it was dark. Bitterly, he just flicked on the television and stared silently at whatever was playing without really processing. He had hoped it would put him to sleep, but all it did was make his brain feel numb and surroundings dull. When he looked back out the window sunlight was breaking.

“Fantastic,” he muttered and stood up. Well, that was a sucky night. One of many. Percy wondered how many more he had left to endure before he went back to getting eight hours of sleep… eh, maybe six. He would take six… or five.

Four would actually be fantastic.

With that new hope in his heart he set off to see if his brother was still alive. If he was maybe he could extend an olive branch and invite him to do something fun. After all, Triton probably had never been to Alaska either. Perhaps showing him something new would quell the catty comments.

“Morning Lorie,” he said because coffee was a definite must… partly because of his atrocious night and partly because he was about to have a conversation with Triton. “Could I have something strong and with as many shots of espresso is legally allowed?” He asked, sliding his card over. Lorie scoffed and gestured for him to sit at one of the café tables.

“Sure thing, sweetheart,” she told him and set to work. “You doing okay after yesterday?”

Ah… yes.

“Um, yeah,” he said. “My brother is in town apparently.”

“I see the family resemblance.”

“…do you?” Percy asked a bit distastefully. He didn’t like the idea of looking like Triton even if it did make sense. Gross. Lorie laughed and flicked a switch on one of the coffee machines. “He’s trying to get me to go home,” he muttered and a small huff. Lorie tilted her head.

“Not ready?”

“I mean, I wouldn’t _mind_ it, but… things are complicated,” he admitted and propped his elbows up on the table so he could put his chin between his hands. “Also, I just don’t like him,” he added under his breath. Lorie hummed and poured some coffee in a paper cup. “Of all the people my father could have sent I’m not sure why it had to be _him,”_ he said. Lorie raised an eyebrow.

“Why can’t your father come himself?”

Percy grinned a little.

“Let’s just say he’s… banned from the premises,” he snorted. Lorie hummed.

“If it was Ellie I would have gotten her banned or not,” Lorie mused. Percy tilted his head. “My niece,” she explained and slid the coffee in front of him. “Though she is only nine. I guess it’s probably different when you have a teenager,” she said and Percy grinned.

“Aw, you think I’m an adult?”

“I think you have a good head on your shoulders,” she said and then pointed a finger at him. “And a penchant for trouble.” She added. Percy shrugged. That sounded right. “Here,” Lorie said and handed him a second coffee. “For your brother when you see him. Something tells me he could use a pick-me-up too,” she told him. Percy accepted it was a soft thank you, inwardly sighing at the reminder that he did need to find Triton. Great.

In the end, actually finding him wasn’t that hard. Like all children of Poseidon, he navigated towards water. Big surprise.

“Need any help?” Percy asked. Triton also seemed to have found refuge by the dock… and clearly needed it. He looked downright awful. Guilt nibbled at his stomach for letting him ever get in such a state. His hair was a mess, cuts and bruises littered his arms, his clothes were in ruin, and - for some unknown reason – had only one shoe. Percy held out the coffee.

“Leave me.”

“What happened to you?” Percy asked with a frown and shuffled a little closer. Triton glared. Fine then. Percy would drink the coffee himself. He licked his lip and took a long pull. “…alley cats? Monsters? Drunk guy with one eye?” He asked and Triton turned to him for a moment. “Sorry, I’m thinking of New York,” he grinned. Triton didn’t smile back. “…want to go fishing?”

“I hate you. I _hate_ you,” Triton seethed and got up to hit one of the wooden beams of the dock. “If you don’t get over this _childish_ tantrum then I’m going to-”

“To?” Percy prompted and Triton fixed cold eyes on him. “Why didn’t dad leave you more powers when sending you here?” He asked, propping himself up on his elbows. Triton flicked his wrist and some flew up and fell on Percy’s head. Scowling, Percy waved the water away.

“Turning mortal isn’t exactly a small order. My body needs time to heal after being forcibly combusted and rearranged into this pathetically weak form. I will be stronger then,” Triton said and wrinkled his nose down at his hand in disgust. “If you would like a more detailed explanation then you can ask father when we get back-”

“Ah, yes. I’ll set a reminder for three years,” Percy nodded and Triton stared as if he was seriously considering strangling him. “Come on! You don’t like it here?”

“No! I want to go _home_ ,” Triton snapped. At that, Percy felt a little guilt. He reminded himself that Triton would be home in a relatively short amount of time and would spend eternity in Atlantis. All they really needed was for Annabeth to give him the all-clear.

“You will,” Percy reassured him weakly and Triton swung around to point a finger at him. “Come on. Just give me a bit more time before harassing me,” he said and flopped back on the ground. Triton’s face peered over him – scowling down before kneeling next to him. “What?”

“You’ve left me no choice. I really did try to be nice.”

“Hm,” Percy said, unperturbed. He expected Triton to try toss him in the water, but instead a hand enclosed around his wrists and a small clinking sound followed. For a moment, his mind went completely blank – a wave of stillness overcoming him. When he opened his eyes again it was to look down and see both his wrists were covered in golden shackles. He looked back up at where Triton was standing smugly.

“Triton,” Percy said slowly. “What… is on my wrist?” He asked. The not-currently-a-god shrugged.

“ _Prince_ Triton – or your majesty. Whatever you prefer,” he said snidely and smiled down at the golden bracelet fondly. “And that is a draining device,” he said. “It keeps your energy levels low so you can’t fight back. We used to use it in Atlantis a lot, but it got outlawed after some criminals got ahold of them and started taking hostages.”

“Pretty sure that’s what’s happening now,” Percy gritted out, trying to peel the metal off. “Seriously. Take it off-”

“You do not give me orders, demigod,” Triton said and stood up. “This has gone on longer than it should. I have already degraded myself in this form,” he told him with a grimace, looking down at the dismal state of his mortal body. Percy wanted to snap back, but he found himself already sinking into the ground, mind going numb. His body felt like jello. Just… there.

“Let. Me. Go.” He managed between steady breaths as he tried to push the cloudiness away. Triton ignored him and stuck a hand in the water.

“I got him, father. If you can hear me, we’ll be home soon,” he said and then glanced back at where Percy had put both hands on the ground beside him, struggling to keep him collapsing completely. How could he be so stupid? Percy’s had years to train and hone his reflexes and yet he let someone he _knew_ didn’t like him attack. Triton’s head tilted when Percy fell again. “Maybe consider keeping him in these cuffs permanently,” he added dryly. Percy wanted to _throttle_ him. Gods, when he got his hands on that little-

Whatever else he was consider torturing Triton with was silenced by the ground suddenly rumbling. Percy froze. Images to Gaea flickered to the surface – whispering warnings and sending a sharp wave of alarm through his chest.

“Damn kobalos,” Triton muttered and straightened up. “Begone. This is no business of yours,” he said sharply. Percy tried to look over at who he was speaking to, but all he could see were shadows as his eyes seemed to get heavier. Swallowing, he inched towards the water. If he could just touch it…

Triton grabbed the back of his shirt and yanked him away. Ugh, _jerk._

Whispers followed. Percy couldn’t make most out – brain getting frustratingly fuzzy. How was it he could take out giants and titans and monsters (oh my!) only to be thwarted by stupid _Little Mermaid_ handcuffs? It was bullshit. He could outsmart gods, but his dumbass half-brother who couldn’t even put shoes on the right feet got the better of him?

Percy wasn’t usually on the arrogant side of the scale, but…come _on_.

He should have known he would die in a super lame, dumb way. He says ‘die’ because Triton didn’t seem to realize that those kabobs or whatever he called them were _not_ friendly. At all. Percy could sense it even as his eyes drooped and body go completely lax. Triton was mortal now… no way he could fend them off.

“I _said_ begone,” Triton said. Percy wanted to mimic him. “I-” A yelp sounded and Percy hoped he got eaten… except deep down he knew that wasn’t _really_ true. Maybe. Hard to tell when he was on the precipice of unconsciousness. He blinked a few times, making out a small group of…elves? No, gremlins. Maybe a mixture of both. They were all small with graying skin and glowing eyes that… nah, those were goblins then. Total goblin-vibes. Sharp teeth and everything. Maybe it was the ears that made him think elf… or resemblance to Nico di Angelo after shadow traveling for three days that led to the gremlin thought.

The air shifted and Percy idly wondered if Will Solace had somehow used his Star Wars knowledge to summon the Force after sensing Percy making fun of his boyfriend. It wouldn’t be the first time.

Oh – look at that. The elf-gremlin-goblin hybrids had all jumped on Triton.

Percy got the feeling this should trouble him more, but the handcuffs really… _really_ messed with your head. He yawned instead. Triton gave a high-pitched shriek.

 _“Perseus!”_ He yelled and there was a snapping sound from the pile of attackers. “Help me, you sorry sod!”

“Oh…” Percy mumbled. “Go Triton!”

A string of curses followed his efforts.

Unfortunately, this also brought attention to him. Glowing eyes suddenly flicked him over and one of the kabobs (that _is_ what Triton called them, right?) had turned its attention to him. Slowly, it crept over and poked him in the eye.

“Rude.”

The kabob chittered and patted him down. Percy frowned – realizing a second too late he was definitely being robbed. The little beast held up a ballpoint pen with a small cheer. Percy snickered. Dumbass. It would return to him any –

Wait a minute. _Would_ Riptide return to him here? It was his father’s godly power that returned it to him, right? That was gone here… but Percy’s powers still worked. Had he lost Riptide last time he was in Alaska? His mid felt too fuzzy to remember. The panic at least seemed to wake him up, letting him struggle against his bindings once more.

“I – TRITON!” He shouted and yanked. The metal only cut into his skin. “ _Undo this!”_

“A little busy!” Triton’s voice responded and a kabob went soaring.

“Too bad I can’t help out,” Percy drawled from the ground. “Don’t mind me. Getting robbed. Dying. But, sure, take your time-”

“Gods, even when drugged with magic you _whine,”_ Triton hissed back and Percy realized he had a trident in his hand. He whirled it impressively, but it didn’t seem to do much for the fight… it also didn’t help that Triton kept tripping. Percy grimaced.

“Your footwork is awful.”

_“I don’t usually have feet!”_

“Well, try not falling over them for starters,” Percy said and shook his head to keep the sleep at bay. Gaea. It reminded him so much of her. The voice – Piper’s voice lulling her. Sleeping. Spells and –

“Can you please be helpful?” Triton snapped, drawing him back. Percy sighed and looked at where the kabob next to him was still searching his pockets.

“Can you believe this guy?” He asked. The little gremlin looked at him and then shrugged, taking a mint from Percy’s jeans and popping it into his mouth. “Hey,” he added and held out his hands. “Do you want these? They’re rare. Outlawed in Atlantis.” He said and shook them a bit so the chains rattled. “Pretty gold too,” he offered. The kabob licked its lips and hurried over.

Then bit it. Percy sighed.

“You’re going to have to get them off of me first or – oh, wow, okay,” Percy said when the kabob bit the metal clean through and snatched it off of his wrist. “Um, can you do the other one?” He asked, already feeling more alert. His new friend did so easily. Percy nodded. Nice. “Thank you,” he said and the kabob held the handcuffs close to its chest. “Nah, keep them. I’m going to have to stop your friends from killing my brother though,” he sighed.

Triton gave a yelp and was thrown into the water. Percy considered. Maybe he could wait a little longer… reaching down, he snapped up Riptide before the kabob could take it and uncapped the pen. Before he could figure out whether to help Triton or take down the attackers a familiar figure stepped out in front of him.

“Mr. D?” He said, a little bewildered at the sudden appearance of the god. How did he get here? How _could_ he get here? Percy shifted back slightly, moving towards the water. His mind was waking up now – his powers along with it. “Are you here to drag me back too?” He asked and raised Riptide. From behind him, Triton splashed back to the surface.

“No – _damnit,_ Perseus, those are kobalos!” He shouted and then choked as he tried to stay afloat. Percy glanced back at him.

“Are you _drowning?”_ He asked and when Triton dipped back down, flicked his wrist so he was spat back out onto the dock. Triton coughed, spluttering water everywhere. Percy used the opportunity to send a wave crashing down on Mr. D and… yep, sure enough. The god melted into several kabobs. Percy put a sword at the base of one’s back and poked.

The kabob shrieked.

“I don’t want to hurt you,” Percy informed it sternly. “But you need to leave. If you keep attacking us then I’m going to have to turn you into monster dust,” he said solemnly. The kabobs all muttered. “I came from Tartarus myself not too long ago. I wouldn’t recommend the trip,” he advised.

The muttering raised slightly – turning more into a panicked chattered. From the ground, Triton was managing to pick himself up. Percy risked a glance at him. Strange. It appeared his brother was weaker than he had let on. He was soaking wet and it didn’t look as if any of his injuries had healed… huh. How long was he going to be like this? It was mildly concerning.

“I’m going to _eviscerate_ you little-”

“No,” Percy interrupted. “They were just leaving, right?” He asked and one of the kabobs raised the handcuffs. “You can keep those.” He said and there was a small cheer before the group dispersed – all bouncing in the different directions before seemingly melting into the land around them. Slowly, Percy turned to Triton and capped Riptide.

“I’ve never swam with _legs_ before,” Triton said defensively. “It was…unnatural,” he muttered with a small shudder. Percy looked him up and down pointedly before crossing his arms over his chest. “I – I most certainly do not need to answer to you!” He snapped.

“I saved your ass. Yes, you do.”

“You didn’t even do anything!”

“I’m sorry, look around. Your ass was kicked and I’m perfectly fine. All you had to do was _reason_ with them-”

“Reason with-? You waved Anaklusmos around and threatened to send them to Tartarus,” Triton said and picked up his trident. Percy watched curiously as he tapped the middle spoke. The air shimmered and it disappeared.

“How can you do _that_ , but the water won’t heal you?” He asked. Triton shot him a dark look, but didn’t answer. “Whatever,” Percy muttered. “Screw you for the handcuff trick, by the way.”

“It would have worked if the gods forsaken kobalos hadn’t intervened – which, by the way – they shapeshift into Dionysus all the time. How could you not know that?” He asked and threw up his hands. “Does he not run your silly little camp? And you don’t even know who serves him?” He demanded. Percy shrugged. He knew satyrs served him. Not kabobs.

“Either way, I’m mad at you and exhausted thanks to your stupid handcuffs. I’m going to bed and _locking the door_ ,” he hissed and turned to march away. He had taken maybe two steps before a small voice in the back of his head (that sounded strangely like his mother) whispered for him to turn.

No. No, he would not. Percy knew what he would see and he wouldn’t –

Damnit. He turned. Sure enough, Triton was there covered with a nasty gash on his left arm, bleeding heavily with soaking clothes, various scratches, and a blossoming bruise over his cheek. The wind shifted and Percy was bitterly reminded of the cold as Triton shivered.

He. Hated. His. Life.

“You’re coming with me,” Percy muttered and circled back to collect him. Triton bristled.

“Excuse me? I am _not-”_

“You will die like this. If you can’t heal or dry yourself then you need someplace warm and with a first-aid kit. Do you have either?” He asked. Triton’s eyes swirled with anger. “No? Alright, let’s go.” He said and grabbed his wrist to tug. Triton ripped himself out of the grip, but did follow him with low muttered in languages Percy didn’t recognize.

Gods, he needed to call Annabeth. She had a plethora of experience of dealing with people when patience was low. He needed her wisdom now more than ever.

“This… is a closet,” Triton said as Percy pulled out his keys and rolled his eyes. “Where’s the rest?”

“This is it.”

“No, you’ve missed something.”

“We aren’t in Atlantis. This is my apartment. Deal with it,” Percy told him and shoved open the door. He was already regretting this with every inch of his soul. Maybe this _was_ his punishment… maybe if he returned home now then Poseidon would be waiting to tell him ‘ah, yes, spending time with Triton? That is sufficient punishment for an entire lifetime’ and then Percy could go hug his mom and take a nap.

“I’ll get you some clothes,” he sighed as Triton stared blankly around the room. His eyes drifted the various appliances on the counter with a mix of askance and recognition. “That’s a toaster,” Percy said… just in case. Triton jumped.

“I know what it is, you slug,” he snarled and then narrowed his eyes. “I simply have not seen one in… quite some time.”

Sure. Percy rubbed his eyes before disappearing into his duffel bag to throw a handful of clothes at him. Triton plucked them from the air with ease before grimacing. Offhandedly, Percy wondered how long it would take him to even get changed.

The answer was about forty-five minutes. The pants were what got him. Percy was a little surprised he hadn’t bled out from the cut on his arm yet.

“This is too minor for ambrosia,” Percy said as he worked to examine the wound. "I only brought a couple squares so we have to use it sparingly," he explained. Triton was on the counter, looking oddly… normal. He had changed (begrudgingly) into a spare set of Percy’s clothes which happened to be jeans and a Metallica t-shirt. It was kind of weird. In his human form with his clothes on… Percy could see they actually did look quite a bit alike. It was weird. Super weird. 

“You mortals don’t have any seaweed wrappings here,” Triton said, looking around with a grimace. Percy smiled a little before nodding.

“Yeah, fresh out of those,” he said and lifted up a box. “But we do have band-aids.”

“Band… aids…” Triton repeated slowly and watched as Percy picked out a few of the bigger ones. “I have not seen such a healing device before.” He frowned.

“How long has it been since you’ve been on land?” Percy asked him, mystified. The guy had looked at the toaster as if its existence was both a sin and a miracle. Triton stared at him as if he was missing something important.

“Why would I ever want to go on land?” He asked as if the idea itself was laughable. “Our father’s domain covers over seventy percent of this planet. I have far more places to go underwater than I ever would out of it,” he said and then furrowed his brows. “I’ve been a handful of times. I used to go to visit Athena quite a bit and try to keep up with some of the human nonsense,” he mused. Percy paused in grabbing a cotton swab.

“Athena?” He asked. “Why would you visit her? Dad hates her.”

“Hm, well, I’ve always considered that quarrel a bit… distasteful,” Triton said. “I worked hard to raise that girl-”

Percy dropped the first-aid kit altogether. Triton stared at him in such obvious disappointment that it might have been funny if he wasn’t so thrown off-track.

“You… I’m sorry, _what?_ Raised her?” He said and then narrowed his eyes. No. No, he didn’t want to think of the logistics of this. That his brother raised his girlfriend’s mother. It was weird. Too weird. “No. Bullshit,” he decided with a shake of his head. “Athena was born fully grown from Zeus’ head. Bullshit,” he repeated, certain he had won. Triton raised an eyebrow.

“Fully grown, yes, but still young,” Triton told him and frowned. “I suppose – _technically_ – her and I are the same age. She might actually be a smidge older, but it is hard to say since she resided so long in Zeus’ head. Perhaps mentor is a better word. It’s just that while she came out of my uncle’s head knowing mathematics or battle strategy, she knew nothing of the actual world,” he shrugged. “I considered her more like Pallas in that regard. The wisdom part of her title came a bit later.”

Pallas… Percy felt like that name should be familiar, but didn’t dare ask. Instead he narrowed his eyes.

“… _she_ knew nothing of the actual world so they sent her to… _you?_ The guy who doesn’t leave the ocean?” He asked. Triton rolled his eyes.

“If you think the actual world consists of only land than you’re a bigger fool than I thought,” he said coolly. Percy shrugged and patted his knee.

“Big words for someone who has never seen a toaster before.”

“I _said_ I’ve – whatever,” Triton grumbled and leaned back on the counter. “You’re insufferable and I – _why have you attacked me?!”_ He shrieked, almost falling off of the counter when Percy touched a cut with some hydrogen peroxide. Typical. “Get away!”

“It’s just cleaning the dirt and blood!”

“If it heals you it isn’t supposed to _hurt-”_

“Stop being a baby and stay still!”

“You’re killing me!”

“I freaking wish,” Percy muttered and yelped when Triton slapped his hand away. “Seriously? Fine. Deal with an infection,” he groused and threw the cotton swabs to the side. Triton stared at him with wounded eyes. “You’re such a baby.”

Triton’s mouth dropped.

“ _Me?!”_ He demanded and picked up a bandage to throw at Percy’s face. “I’m sorry, but who decided to _run away?”_ He asked. Percy sniffed. Whatever. That was hardly the point. At least he wasn’t crying over a little hydrogen peroxide. “No matter. If we leave tomorrow-”

“What? Triton, I’m not going with you,” Percy told him, exasperated. “My friends will let me know when it’s safe.”

“Your-? No. You’re coming back with me!”

“Don’t think so.”

“ _Perseus-”_

 _“Triton,”_ Percy mimicked and watched as his brother _boiled_ with hatred. “I’m not leaving without my friends telling me it is okay.” He said and poked a finger in his chest. “And, by the looks of things, your powers aren’t working very consistently here, which means I have the upperhand. Perhaps remember that before _drugging_ me again.”

Could you kill someone through anger alone? It looked like Percy was about to find out. Rolling his eyes, he held up his phone.

“If I call Annabeth and she says I can go back then I will,” he said and pressed the button beside her name. Triton shook his head, but stayed quiet as the phone rang on speaker. Percy waited. One… two...

“Remember when we were twelve and I said Athena and Poseidon don’t get along?” Annabeth’s voice greeted. Percy didn’t have a chance to answer. “I now have a better understanding of why.”

Uh oh.

“I thought it was the Athens deal? And even if it wasn’t then I’m surprised I didn’t provide that understanding for you,” he said lightly, though he felt a little nervous. Triton’s eyes narrowed slightly at the phone. Maybe putting her on speaker was a mistake. “Also, Triton is here. Say hi,” he added quickly.

“Oh, trust me, I _know_ ,” Annabeth snapped back. “Hello, Lord Triton. How’s mortality treating you?”

Percy’s eyes widened. She was _pissed._ Why? He shouldn’t have gotten her involved – what was he thinking? Maybe he should go back with Triton before he caused problems for his friends-

“I feel my body decaying and am forced to listen to Perseus’ incessant chattering, so not well,” Triton answered and crossed his arms over his chest. “What is the issue with my father?” He asked and there was the sound of low mutters on the other side.

“I IMed Chiron today to figure out what’s happening on Olympus,” Annabeth gritted out. “My mother is quite… displeased with Poseidon’s decision to turn you mortal,” she said. Triton’s lips twitched slightly. Percy thought back to Triton’s earlier comment of raising Athena. He supposed, in that case, he shouldn’t be surprised that Athena was annoyed… he also wasn’t surprised Annabeth was upset. It had been months since the Giant War and Athena hadn’t reconciled with Annabeth at all. None of the gods had, but Percy would imagine Annabeth would be especially sensitive given, well… everything that had happened. Then having her mother speak up for the child of her supposed rival would be an extra slap in the face.

“Oh?” Triton asked.

“Why is Athena involved in this?” Percy cut in. Annabeth took a deep breath.

“Good question. I guess she just feels the need to stand up for Lord Triton. Maybe she wants you to stay in Alaska. Good for her, honestly. Caring about us in Tartarus wasn’t a battle worth fighting, but a god turning _mortal_ and going to _Alaska_ is just too much,” she sighed. Percy sighed. Yeah, he was a dick for getting her involved. Annabeth didn’t deserve this stress.

“Well, what did my father say?” Triton asked, sounding hopeful. Percy made a face at him.

“I wasn’t there, but Chiron’s paraphrasing sounded like he told her to worry about her own kids… a fair response,” Annabeth muttered and there was the sound of her taking a long breath. “I wouldn’t come back yet, Percy-”

“Why not?” Triton cut her off. “Him staying here longer will only anger my father further. Also, he risks Athena’s ire the longer _I’m_ here so the best solution would be for us to come back immediately.”

“It sounds tense at the moment and I haven’t spoken directly to anyone,” Annabeth snapped right back. “My mother may care about _your_ wellbeing, but it doesn’t appear she has Percy’s best interest at heart.”

“Why would she?” Triton asked and Percy hit his arm. Triton’s jaw dropped – looking utterly offended by the gesture to shut him up. Annabeth was silent on the other end.

“Because he’s important to _me,”_ she finally said, voice so low and dangerous that both Triton and Percy went still. After a moment, Percy cleared his throat.

“Hey, look, I know we talked about throwing some water on this, but I’m thinking it actually isn’t a good idea for you to be speaking directly to any of them…” Percy said, keeping his voice soft and reassuring. “Maybe just listen to see how they’re all feeling and I’ll come back whenever it’s calmest,” he told her.

There was some rustling in the background and then a second voice joined, making Percy jump.

“We can always send you an escort.”

“Frank?” Percy frowned at the phone. “Wha-? How?” He asked. Annabeth would have IMed Chiron from her dorm. Why was Frank there? Someone else cleared their throat.

“I shadow traveled him here. Figured the Romans should be in the loop too,” Nico’s voice answered. “Hi, by the way,” he said and Percy rolled his eyes.

“Will is going to kick your ass for that,” he muttered and then scowled. “How long have you two been here for?”

“Whole time. Annabeth was too pissed off to mention it,” Nico said and there was a grumbled apology from Annabeth in the background. Triton grimaced – physically moving himself away from the phone. Percy rolled his eyes. “And we can’t really just see how they’re feeling. Not a great plan,” he informed him bluntly. Percy felt a shred of irritation – why was he involved in this again? A sharp voice in the back of his mind reminded him he should be grateful for his help. Especially when Percy had done absolutely nothing to deserve it.

“Why not?”

“Gods hold grudges,” Nico answered. “I don’t think they’re going to get over this quickly. Maybe in a few decades – shortest timeframe.”

“Yeah…” Frank said. “Our best bet is appealing to them.”

“I can do that then,” Percy said quickly. Triton raised an eyebrow at him. “I’ll go back with Triton. You guys shouldn’t be negotiating over something like this-”

“I am,” Annabeth cut in coolly. Percy flinched.

“This really is so stupid, Annabeth. I messed up. Don’t get dragged in because I’m an emotional idiot-”

“If anyone has license to be an emotional idiot,” Frank said calmly. “It would be you. Besides, Hazel thinks she can use the mist to shield you from the gods like she shielded us from the giants. So, if worse comes to worst we can do that.”

He was the worst person ever. A _child_ was going to spend her life manipulating mist to keep him safe? No. He would not let that happen. Hazel deserved better-

“Who did what?” Triton asked and then blinked. “Is this a child of Hecate?”

“Nah, Pluto,” Percy murmured. “Hecate trained her though. She died in Alaska too, actually-”

“Not thrilled you used the word ‘too’, Perseus,” Annabeth’s voice said dryly.

“Sorry.”

“Then how is she any help to you if she’s dead?” Triton frowned and then held up his hands. “I don’t actually care,” he decided. Percy shrugged. There probably wasn’t enough time for the whole story anyways. “All this strategizing is needless. Perseus is-”

“I’m not coming back with you!” Percy burst out and Triton threw up his hands.

“You _just_ said you would ten seconds ago!”

Fair… but unappreciated.

“Why don’t you go over there and practice walking?” Percy muttered. Triton gave him a dark look before kicking him – _hard_. “Ow! What the Hell?”

“Sorry, I don’t know how to control these things,” Triton said and kicked him again. “They take some getting used to.”

He should have let the kabobs have him.

“Percy, listen,” Annabeth interrupted calmly. “We’re going to figure something out. For now, just stay in Alaska. Is there a chance Triton can force you to go back?” She asked.

“No.”

“Yes.”

Triton and Percy looked at one another as they answered at the same time. A low sigh came from the other end of the phone.

“I’m really not comfortable with him being with you,” Annabeth said. Percy swallowed. Guilt. Guilt, guilt, guilt, _guilt-_

“You should be focusing on your stuff right now. Don’t worry about Triton. I can handle him. I saw him try to put gloves on his feet earlier. I’m safe,” Percy said in a soothing voice. Triton turned to him with narrowed eyes.

“…you said those were socks,” he whispered darkly. Percy gave a small shrug. Eh. He couldn’t help it. “You are intolerable,” he said and then kicked him again. Maybe the Fates didn’t originally give him feet for a freaking _reason_. Percy kicked him back.

“Alright,” Frank cut in – possibly sensing what was happening on the other end of the line. “Well, in that case, sit tight until we tell you that you’re good to go. Alaska is beautiful! Go skiing or something,” he suggested brightly. Nico snorted.

“Yeah, enjoy your vacation with Triton,” he said sweetly and Percy made a note to text Will that Nico had been shadow traveling too often as revenge. “Bye, Percy.”

“Bye, Percy!”

“Bye…” Percy said and waited for Annabeth. She spoke a second later.

“Be safe, Seaweed Brain,” she told him softly. Percy wanted to bury himself out in the snow.

“I will. I promise.” He said and swallowed. “Love you.”

“Love you too,” she said and a few seconds later there was a click. Percy bit his lip. Slowly, he set the phone down on the counter. Damnit. _Damnit_.

Why? Why did he have to do this? Why did he have to be so impulsive? All he had to do was think _one_ thing through – all he had to do was consider _one other person aside from himself_. Ha, they said his fatal flaw was loyalty. He was seriously beginning to doubt that. Loyalty meant not making your friends beg on your behalf over dumb temper tantrums.

Weighed down by the bitterness, Percy absently walked to the bedroom and collapsed onto his bed. Above him was a skylight, showing the that night had come alongside the moon and constellations. Triton followed him, standing next to the bed and following his gaze.

“I don’t understand you,” he finally said, staring up at the sky. Percy frowned and glanced over at him. “All you have to do is listen and you’re automatically in his favor. Why would you do something like this?” He asked. Percy frowned. His eyes went back to the stars above them.

“You… I know he said I was his favorite, but you do know that isn’t true, right?” He asked. Triton gave a disbelieving noise beside him. “I’m serious. I’m not sure _he_ knows that, but I don’t think he even cares about me,” he mused.

“What are you talking about?”

“When I get back there is like a…ninety percent chance he might kill me as it stands,” Percy snorted and inwardly his stomach twisted. He was hurting his friends. How could he do this to them? He survived so much only to be struck down over _this?_ It was pathetic. “You generally don’t kill people you love,” he added and reached up, tracing Zoë’s constellation in the sky. He still regretted not being able to meet Hercules. He would have _loved_ to deck the guy for what he did to her.

“Kill you…?” Triton repeated. “You are so daft. Obviously, he isn’t going to kill you,” he said and went about the room to curiously prod at his things. Percy blinked. No? That was good news. Then again, Triton was probably lying.

“Why? I disobeyed his godly will or whatever,” Percy said and propped himself on his elbows. “Isn’t that a big deal?”

“Yes,” Triton agreed. “That’s why he won’t kill you. What kind of punishment would that be?” He asked. Percy frowned. Um… what? That didn’t sound good at all. His mind flashed to the more… permanent punishment. Sisyphus rolling a rock up a hill. Tantalus not eating or drinking. Prometheus getting his organs eaten out every day. For the first time since this all began, Percy felt a twinge of concern beyond just getting blasted into pieces.

“Oh,” he said and then swallowed. “What… do you think he’s going to do then?” He asked, trying to sound as casual as possible. Triton paused when he saw some scraps of paper lying in a pile of Percy’s things. He picked it up before looking around the room for… something. Percy didn’t bother to ask what.

“Well, Perseus,” he said – drawing out the name as if speaking to a toddler. “He did not wish for you to come here because of your safety. You refused immortality when offered to you as a gift. All you friends and family are mortal. It seems to me that the most educated guess would be that he would turn you immortal,” he said and made a face. “…though that may be more of a punishment for the rest of us.” He grumbled.

Percy felt his heart pick up. At face value… it seemed like a pretty lazy punishment. Most people would jump at the chance for immortality. Triton did have one thing right though – based on all evidence Percy would _hate_ it. Watching his mother grow old and die? Annabeth? Paul? Estelle even? Gods, it sounded awful.

“I – no!” He said and Triton shrugged. “No, I’m not… no,” he decided.

“You don’t have a choice,” he said and then plucked up a pencil. Percy ignored him. No. No, that… he ran his hand through his hair, distressed. No. He couldn’t focus on any other word. The panic was rising as he stood up suddenly, feeling a little sick. “I’m sure they’ll add an additional layer of torment. Maybe marry you off since you’re so fond of your Athena girl-”

“Stop talking!” Percy growled and got up to pace the length of the bedroom. No. No, they couldn’t _do_ this. Yes, he had been stupid, but ultimately Percy had done enough where they couldn’t seriously be considering something like that, right? He had… he had helped most of them in some way or another, right? Giving a hiss of frustration, he turned and hit the wall.

Triton glanced up from where he had begun scribbling on the piece of paper he had found.

“You seem angry.”

“Of course, I’m angry!” Percy exploded and he hated, _hated_ how true it was. He hated that he was angry. Hated the feeling, the truth of his words pouring out like venom. “It isn’t just that he’s telling me what to do, Triton! You know, I thought I was the luckiest compared to every other demigod out there. My father claimed me, he gave me gifts, he even _spoke_ to me on occasion. Hell, the best part was that he was _nice_ to me. I kind of even liked the guy. I’ll admit, my expectations were pretty low to begin with, but hey! He still exceeded them and I was _thrilled_ ,” he spit out and clenched his hands to stop them from shaking. “And you know what? I didn’t blame him for not stopping Hera from kidnapping me or wiping my memory or for Tartarus. He was struggling with his Roman form or whatever. I get it. Fine. Sure. Me getting sucked into another prophecy wasn’t his fault!” He continued, vaguely aware his voice was getting a tad hysterical as he ranted. Triton’s expression hadn’t changed, but he could feel his eyes digging into him – almost as if trying to peel back his skin and examine him more closely.

“But after all of that you would think I could get… I don’t know! Maybe a hello? Sorry your crazy aunt plucked you up and turned your life upside down? A ‘so sorry you saw the depths of literal Hell’ or maybe a congratulations at _surviving?”_ He asked and threw his hands up. “And I kept wondering why I even expected him to say anything to me because gods don’t do that when I realized-” he laughed, cutting himself off for a moment before continuing. “He only visited me before the Titan War. He hasn’t shown a shred of interest since Kronos was defeated – unless you count fighting giants then _maybe,”_ he scoffed. The anger left him suddenly. Leaving him cold and tired and… sad. Just really, really sad. “All he did was make sure I liked him to ensure I chose the Olympians’ side and didn’t cross over to join the titans. I was just young and too stupid to see I was being manipulated,” he shrugged. Silence. Percy sorted through his thoughts and spoke again. “And it’s different now because I know he didn’t tell me to stay in New York because he cares if I’m _safe._ He told me to stay in New York because I’m a useful weapon to have on-hand for whatever next war comes along.”

Percy fell against the wall.

A weapon. He hated being a _weapon_. Even demigods sometimes had a hard time seeing him as one of them. He was a hero – an idol, someone they whispered about and regaled in his tales of quests and war stories. Deities saw him as a reliable errand boy, magical creatures saw him as something to worship, and his friends… his friends…

“I’m a person,” he said quietly and slid down the wall to sit on the ground. Was he though? After all he’s done? Whispers of Tartarus rose in the back of his mind. Of the people he failed – promises broke. I’m not as great as you think I am, he had wanted to tell them. Even Annabeth didn’t seem to understand how badly of a mess he truly was. She wouldn’t stay with him if she did.

A hand touched his leg and he jumped. Oh. Oh, _shit_. Triton. Percy felt himself pale. At some point, he had just completely forgot who he was talking to.

“What do you eat?” He asked. Percy stared. What? What did he _eat?_ Triton shook his leg. “Mortal food. I eat nectar and ambrosia usually,” he prompted. Oh. Right, he must be hungry. Had he not eaten since he became mortal? That wasn’t good.

“Right. I can make you something-”

“No – _sit,”_ Triton said when he tried to get up. “Stop being stupid for ten seconds. Just tell me the names of the food.” He said and Percy gave him a wary look. What was this? “Have you somehow forgotten?” He asked. Ugh.

“I have bananas, ice cream, graham crackers – I haven’t gone shopping for things to actually cook with yet – bread, popcorn, peanut butter, and… honey, I think.” He said. Triton grimaced before getting up. A second later he returned with the bananas, peanut butter, and graham crackers before throwing them at Percy’s face.

“I’m not entirely sure if these things go together, but here.”

“Oh,” Percy said and looked down. “…thank you,” he told him. Triton shrugged. “Here take this,” Percy said. Triton frowned. “I know, but you should really eat. Wait – here!” He rectified and sat up to put some peanut butter on the banana. “Tada!” He said and handed it over. Triton stared.

“…no.”

“It’s good.”

“No.”

“Try it!”

“I would rather not,” Triton said, grimacing when Percy kept shoving the banana at him. “You – gods help me,” he muttered and took a small bite. Percy waited. Triton chewed before letting his eyes fall down to Percy’s banana-peanut butter creation. “You live like this?” He finally asked.

Oh, _whatever_. Grumbling, Percy opened some graham crackers and took a bite of that. They stayed like that for a while. Percy eating while Triton nibbled his way through the banana with absolute disgust. It occurred to Percy that the reason his powers were so inconsistent and weak was probably partly due to the fact he hadn’t been eating. Just as he was trying to figure that out, Triton spoke.

“I have a confession.”

That wasn’t good. Percy glanced up at him, eyes narrowed slightly before looking down at the food.

“Have you poisoned me?”

“I thought about it in the kitchen,” Triton snorted and then shook his head. “But no, not that,” he said and looked at Percy for a long time. His mouth opened before suddenly shutting with a click, expression morphing into something blank and unreadable. He shifted. “I don’t know what to do with these,” he said and showed his foot. Percy frowned. His eyes fell to untied laces.

“What? Tie your shoes? We’ve already established this, Triton.”

“No, this is new information.”

“It is not.”

“Yes, it is,” he said easily and when Percy opened his mouth, held up a finger. “It is and I’m right. You’re not right. That’s how this works,” he said. Percy made a face at him. “Either way, you’re going to have to tell me how to… you said _tie_ them?” He asked and Percy lowered his graham cracker to gape at him.

“You are _thousands_ of years old-”

“Which means I’m in charge and you have to do what I say, yes,” Triton nodded. Percy could not believe this. “It is not my fault I’m trapped in this bipedal nightmare. Besides, you land-dwellers are already so… uncivilized,” he said and Percy snorted. Sure. “I’m being very serious. If you expect me to stay and endure this silly fantasy of yours then I have to be better prepared. Have you seen those awful _boats_ mulling about? They’re terrible and shaped strangely-”

“Cars,” Percy corrected, fighting a smile. “Those are cars. Not boats.”

“Cars,” Triton repeated and shook his head. “Still awful. Several almost killed me.”

“Hm,” Percy nodded and settled against the wall. He wasn’t for sure if Triton was truly this clueless or was playing it up for his sake, but he enjoyed the confusion either way. “Were you walking in the middle of the street or something?” He asked. Triton tilted his head. It was then that Percy realized the ocean didn’t have streets. Maybe Athena was right to be annoyed with his father after all. Triton was definitely going to die here. “Can you tell me about Atlantis?” He asked.

“You’ve been there.”

“Not for long,” Percy said and glanced at the clock. “I guess I shouldn’t keep you up though-”

“I’m a god,” Triton said indignantly. “Sleep is not necessary,” he told him and the paused as he looked down at the banana in his hand. “…usually,” he corrected with a sigh. Percy grinned at him. “I plan on holding you accountable for all my future suffering in this form by the way,” he said and took another bitter bite. “We don’t sleep in closets,” he said. Percy blinked.

“Excuse me?”

“In Atlantis. We don’t sleep in closets like this,” he said, gesturing to the apartment. Percy shook his head. _Of course,_ this was the size of a closet to him. “We sleep in something called in a _bedroom_.”

“Not sure if you’re being condescending on purpose or you genuinely don’t understand we are in a bedroom,” he said and Triton looked around before grimacing.

“…that is so sad.”

“Says the guy who can’t walk.”

“For the last time, _I don’t usually have legs!”_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If a seventh chapter appears in the description don't even worry about it lol. That's just me realizing one chapter is twice as long as the others. Don't mind me not knowing how to pace 😊
> 
> I'm so happy everyone liked the first chapter tho! I hope you like this one too. I was kinda nervous for this fic tbh but you guys for me excited for it all over again! Thanks for that ❤️


	3. Snowboarding is Fun! Everything Else? Not so Much.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapters might be a smidge longer now... I have never been known for my brevity. That wit of the soul thing isn't up my alley. This one has around 11,000 words so halfway is a good stopping point if you need a break! Get some snacks ready (:

“ _It makes so much sense!”_

“No.”

“I can’t believe… oh my gods,” Percy said dramatically as he threw some popcorn. Triton was growing redder and redder by the second, which was a plus in Percy’s book. “It explains everything. Athena wanting you out of Alaska, why you don’t know anything about living on land – this is the answer!”

“This isn’t as funny as you seem to think it is.”

“It is hilarious and I stand by that,” Percy said and tossed another piece of popcorn into his mouth. “Standing is when you put both feet on the ground and don’t move,” Percy added. Triton sneered in return. “Just in case you were unfamiliar with the term.”

“I know I can’t _stand_ you.”

“Ooh, punny,” Percy threw back and picked up the TV remote. “Can I turn on the movie or will the music enrage you?” He asked seriously and Triton groaned. “I can’t believe you were married to _Athena-_ ”

“No,” Triton said and snatched the remote back. “This movie is ridiculous. I’m sick of you playing these foolish movies of the little redheaded harlot-”

“Um, watch how you speak about my niece Ariel, okay? Your daughter deserves more respect-”

“She made a deal with a sea witch!” Triton yelled passionately from the sofa. “And for what?! To prance around with some _mortal?_ ”

“For true love, you heartless monster!”

“Ugh,” Triton grumbled. “That was ridiculous as it was, but now you bring me this… this…”

“Prequel,” Percy supplied helpfully. Turns out, despite Percy's earlier jab regarding Disney movies, that Triton had never actually seen _the_ _Little_ _Mermaid_. Obviously, he couldn't let that blasphemy continue. “That means it happened before _the_ _Little Mermaid_ took place. We’re learning about Ariel’s mother – who is Athena, obviously – and she died at the hands of humans, which is why you hate them and also banned music because Athena loved music,” he informed him solemnly. Triton’s scowl deepened.

“…I love music,” he grumbled and glared at the screen in front of them. “I can play all kinds of it on my conch – don’t _groan at me,”_ Triton snapped. “Gods, you’re annoying. I hate this! Why can’t we just go back?” He begged. Percy rolled his eyes.

“Buckle up,” Percy told him and Triton frowned at the expression. “We’re watching Hercules next,” he said solemnly. There was a soft sigh and Triton reached over for some popcorn. Percy frowned and pushed his hand away. “This is mine. You said you didn’t want any-”

“I didn’t. Now I do.”

“Well, now it’s too late.”

“Stop being obnoxious,” Triton snapped and leaned over to grab some. Percy held the bowl away, which proved to be futile because Triton’s trident suddenly appeared to jab him. Percy yelped, sending the bowl tumbling. The jerk in question plucked it from the air.

“I –where did that even come from?!” Percy hissed and Triton grinned at him before taking a handful of popcorn to eat.

“Tattoo,” he answered and when Percy gave him a questioning look, pulled back his sleeve to show a tattoo of a trident on his wrist. Percy blinked. Wait. “I press it and the trident appears. Touch the spoke and it turns back into the tattoo.”

Percy’s mouth dropped.

“That… is _super_ cool,” he said and reached over to grab his wrist. Triton jolted, spilling the popcorn with a string of curses as Percy examined the tattoo closely. “I want one of these!”

“Too bad,” Triton snapped back and yanked his wrist back. “I got it after I won my first fight against the kraken. So unless you want to go fight the kraken as your trial then you’re out of luck,” he sniffed. Percy sat up, immediately beguiled.

“Trial? What trial?” He asked and then shifted a bit closer. “You fought a _kraken?”_

“ _The_ kraken, and yes. We had trials we have to complete to prove our worth,” Triton shrugged and absently let his fingers trail over a scar right above his tattoo. Percy stared, waiting for more. Triton seemed too lost in thought to respond.

“Who’s we?” Percy prompted and then gasped, suddenly remembering their brief visit on the ocean of the Argo. “You went to Camp Fish-Blood!” He said brightly and Triton blinked a few times.

“Camp…? Excuse me?”

“Leo couldn’t hear the actual name. I guess it was in dolphin or something,” Percy dismissed and then frowned a bit. “I thought they didn’t let in children of Poseidon?” He asked. Not that Percy would have ever gone in a million years, but it would have been cool to see it. Triton closed his eyes.

“We are _not_ calling it Camp Fish-Blood. Let’s start there. I think the closest translation would be…Maelstrom? Camp Maelstrom? It's more of a school than a camp-"

"Of course," Percy said with a wave of his hand. He didn't particularly care about the name when hearing about someone other than him fighting the kraken was on the table. "Maelstrom? We'll call it MS or something. Go on," he said. Triton blinked at him a few times.

“Not sure I like that either... But yes, I went there to be trained. It was before they banned children of Poseidon… might have been a bit of my fault they did that, admittedly,” he said and made a face. “But in my defense, I did _not_ ask father to get involved!” He added.

Percy had never been more interested in anything Triton had ever said.

“What happened?”

“None of your business.”

“Seriously?” Percy said and lifted the remote to pause the movie. “Come on. We have nothing else to do right now. What happened?” He said. Triton ignored him. “Please? I’ll tell you embarrassing stuff that happened to me. I got turned into a guinea pig once,” he tried. Triton looked at him, but that didn’t seem to do. Desperately, Percy racked his mind. “Um… oh, you’ll appreciate this. You sister once almost killed me and a son of Jupiter had to bargain with her to let me go,” he said. Triton sat up.

“Really? Who? Was it Kymopoleia? Please tell me it was. I’ve been needing good blackmail for a while and I’m sure father would be angry-”

“Hey,” Percy frowned. “I don’t want to get anyone in trouble!” He said.

“I’ll tell you about the kraken.”

Oh no. Percy hesitated.

“…you won’t actually tell Poseidon, right?” He asked and Triton rolled his eyes.

“If it’s Kymopoleia then no. She already has it hard enough with our parents. No need to add fuel to the fire,” he said and Percy grimaced, feeling vaguely uncomfortable.

“I know,” he said, tucking a leg under him. “She told me. I… it was her,” he grumbled and Triton grinned. “I feel bad. Are they really that awful to her?” He asked, wringing his hands together. “It isn’t her fault.” He said though he didn’t quite know what he was even referring too.

“I wouldn’t say… _awful_. They just aren’t thrilled with her existence.”

Well. Poseidon probably wasn’t thrilled with Percy’s existence so maybe they had a bit more in common now.

“It isn’t so bad though. The rest of us like her fine. Rhode and I visit her often… and our mother never tried to throw her off a mountain or anything,” he reasoned. Percy wanted to argue that the description still sounded pretty awful, but was sidetracked by Triton following that up with. “Another reason to be glad dad wasn’t the one who married Aunt Hera.”

…right. That was a thing, wasn’t it? Percy always forgot that Hera was the Big Three’s sister as well as Zeus’ wife. He made a face.

“Your mom and dad aren’t related, right?” Percy asked, deeply fearing the answer. Triton rolled his eyes.

“No. My mother is the eldest of the Nereids,” he said as if that meant anything at all to Percy. He nodded slowly.

“Neat.”

Triton stared at him before sighing.

“Sure,” he said – sounding almost defeated. “It’s very… _neat_.”

Percy rolled his eyes. What was he supposed to say? Biting his lip, he considered his words for a moment before fixing Triton with a wary look.

“How… did they meet?” He asked. Triton tilted his head. “Dad and your mom, I mean,” he explained. He meant as a sort olive branch – trying to get to know his brother a little better since he wouldn’t tell him about the kraken… yet. Percy was going to wrangle that one out of him. Triton’s eyes flicked him up and down before shrugging.

“My mother was the most beautiful out of the group being considered for marriage,” he said and Percy frowned. “Ironically, she was the only one who had no interest in being married. Unfortunately for her, father saw her dancing and decided she was his favorite. He offered marriage and she just kind of… left,” Triton snorted. Percy blinked. How… romantic? “She went to Atlas so he wouldn’t bother her. I think she was worried he was just pretending to love her and wanted to hurt her or something.”

“Sounds familiar…” Percy muttered and hesitated. “But, I mean, he just saw her dance. They hadn’t even spoken.”

“I don’t know, I wasn’t there,” Triton shrugged. “I just know that father took it badly. He sent Delphin to find her and ended up bothering all the sea with his wails,” he said. Percy stared. “Then Delphin found him and got her to accept the marriage proposal and boom. All better.”

What… the…

This was why Percy didn’t like reading Greek mythology. What even was that story? He hoped no poor sea animals were suffering Poseidon’s whining because Percy left. 

“He… wailed?”

“Like a beluga, apparently.”

“Ah,” Percy said and then pursed his lips. “That’s… um, really embarrassing,” he decided. Triton lifted a brow. “Yeah, no. I want to pretend like it isn’t, but… wow. What a mess.”

He expected Triton to snap back at him for the comment, but to his surprise he received a light laugh. Triton smiled at him – a real smile – and picked up another piece of popcorn to throw in his mouth.

“My poor mother,” he agreed. “I’m assuming you don’t know most of our father’s tales then? He has many... temperaments. The stories of him vary greatly,” He explained slowly and Percy grimaced.

“I know some,” he said slowly. “Athens with Athena, um… Arion,” he said and then sighed. He had been so relieved Amphitrite wasn’t directly related to him that he had forgotten about the fun little horror story. Triton hummed. “Odysseus, obviously,” he added. Triton yawned.

“Yeah, those are fine. I can tell you more of the embarrassing ones,” he offered. Percy tilted his head.

“…more embarrassing then crying like a beluga whale at a stranger not wanting to marry you?” He asked. Triton’s lips twitched as he studied him over – as if deciding whether he was worthy for this sort of blackmail. Percy must have passed the test because he nodded.

“The man got lost in a cave once. The myths never talk about that. It was like… eight days.”

“That isn’t too bad!” Percy objected and stole the popcorn back. “I was in Daedalus’ labyrinth for-”

“You misunderstand me,” Triton cut him off. “This was just a normal cave.”

Percy looked at him.

“…oh no.”

* * *

Triton drew a lot. It was a quirk Percy hadn’t expected of him, but it was a constant thing – almost like a nervous tick. He sketched pretty much everything to the point where Percy had to end up going to the store to get him more paper and pencils (not as nice as Atlantis’ scrolls and ink, but it would do apparently). Now he was focusing on shading in the other side of the café as Lorie served them some more coffee with a muffin.

“Morning, boys,” she smiled and tucked a piece of hair behind her ear. “What are you up to this fine Sunday?” She asked. Percy brightened.

“Snowboarding!”

“ _He_ will be snowboarding,” Triton amended without looking up. “I will be observing with judgement… and hoping that he breaks a leg so I can force him home,” he added thoughtfully, letting his gaze flick up for a second with a hint of consideration before going back to the paper. Lorie gave him an amused look.

“Well, have fun with that.”

“What are you doing today?” Percy asked, kicking Triton under the table. Triton’s eyes narrowed and he kicked back. Lorie hummed and picked up some trash from another table.

“I’m getting off work a bit early to visit Ellie,” she said brightly. Percy let his mind flicked back. Ellie… Ellie, Ellie, Ellie – ah! Her niece.

“I thought you said she was nine?” He asked and took a sip of coffee. “Does she go to boarding school?” He asked with a small grimace. He was familiar with the various schooling systems. Boarding school was, in his humble opinion, the worst. Lorie sighed.

“Not exactly,” she said and Percy tilted his head. “Ellie has… she has a pretty overactive imagination. It stresses her out sometimes. The last time we had a monster under the bed incident, she got really freaked out. Her mother thought it was best to have her with some professionals for a bit,” she explained, voice souring. “If you know what I mean.”

Oh. Percy opened his mouth to voice his apologies when Triton sat up.

“What monster was this?” He asked. Percy kicked him under the table again.

“Run of the mill kind, I suppose. Sharp teeth. Glowing eyes,” Lorie said and shook her head. “I think it must have been one of her toys. Normal kid stuff, but my sister always was the overreacting type. Poor girl should be out soon enough, but I figured she could use a friendly face,” she sighed and patted Percy’s shoulder as she passed. “Let me know if you two need anything else,” she added. Triton watched her go with sharp eyes. His lips pursed into a thin line. Percy shot him an exasperated look.

“Triton, mortals don’t know about monsters. You can’t just ask them that stuff.”

“Her niece saw one!”

“Yeah, kids see monsters all the time. It’s normal,” he said. Triton looked unconvinced. “I mean, even if she happened to see a real monster through the mist it would never hurt her. Mortal,” he said and then paused. Ellie… Ellie _was_ mortal, right? His mind flatlined for a moment – trying not to panic at the idea of a potential demigod in their midst.

No. No, he was overreacting. That was impossible. He returned his attention back to Triton’s sketching.

“You’re really not going to snowboard too?”

“Nope,” he said, sticking his tongue out slightly in concentration.

“But you’re coming with me?”

“Correct,” Triton amended and hastily tucked a wayward strand of hair behind his ear. “Can’t let you out of my sight in case you decide to run or something,” he mused. Percy made a face at him. Whatever. If he really wanted to he could just snowboard away. It wasn’t like Triton could catch him.

Percy let his eyes follow Lorie for a second and then sighed.

“We should check on Ellie too. Just in case,” he said, knowing his mind wouldn’t let it go if he didn’t. Chucking a child into a mental hospital over monsters under the bed _did_ seem extreme. Triton bit his lip. “What?” He asked.

“How are you doing?” He asked suddenly. Percy frowned. “I mean, you were… displeased recently,” he decided. Percy waited. “Are you often displeased like that?” He asked. Percy took a bite of his muffin.

“Aw, didn’t know you cared.”

“Just answer,” Triton told him flatly. Percy shrugged. “With words, preferably. You… do know how to use your words, right?” He asked leaning in. Percy sneered and pointed a plastic fork at his face.

“I had to teach you to tie your shoes earlier. Don’t try to be a jackass,” he said and Triton groaned, collapsing into his chair with a glower at his legs. “I’m doing fine. The occasional mental breakdown is… normal, according to Chiron,” he said and ran a hand over his face. Triton looked at him. “I’ve been through some stuff recently,” Percy found himself saying defensively. “I’m dealing with it.”

“Hm,” Triton frowned. “Any personality changes?”

“What?” Percy asked and Triton’s expression shifted quickly as he snagged the rest of Percy’s muffin. “Why would I have personality chan-”

“Nevermind,” Triton cut off. “What are we doing first? Mortal or snowboarding?” He asked. Percy stared. He felt like he was missing something important, but the potential demigod quickly sidetracked him. He brought out his phone, checking to see what psych wards were close by and when they allowed visitors.

“It’s too early to see Ellie right now. Besides, we can come up with a plan while climbing the mountain!” He said brightly. Triton answered by taking a desolate sip of coffee. Percy stared at him. Personality change… what a strange question. He filed it away for later.

"You have to do this every single day?" Triton suddenly asked. Percy tilted his head at him. "Eat and drink these foods? How am I still even hungry?" He asked and buried his face in his hands when Percy nodded. " _How can you stand this futile existence?"_ He hissed, making a couple walking by jump in alarm. Percy grimaced and awkwardly patted his shoulder. "You... just... every single day? Until you die?"

"Usually we like eating and drinking. Being hungry and thirsty is uncomfortable and hurts us."

This did not appear to be comforting since Triton took a long breath and stared up at the ceiling. Absently, Percy remembered Chiron explaining that gods tended to have grand feasts once a year. Was that really the only time they ate? How strange. He figured Triton just didn't like mortal food.

"If I cut off my arm would you come back to Atlantis?" Triton asked, peeking through his fingers at him. "Or my leg. I hate these things anyways," he offered. Percy scowled. "You are an insatiable little thing, aren't you?" He muttered, pausing the theatrics to properly glare back at him.

"Why would I want you to cut off your limbs?"

"You like seeing me in pain," Triton said simply. "You attack me with your medical supplies, force me into foolish clothes, torture me with inane movies about my fake-daughter, you make me _eat_ constantly-" he said and rubbed a temple. "Miserable. To think, this is a _vacation_ for you," he muttered and looked around. "Very well. Let us go to your ridiculous mountain so you may slide down it," he grumbled and picked up his drawings.

The complaining continued even as they clambered off of the ski lift about an hour later.

“I bet you’d like snowboarding,” Percy said. Triton was begrudgingly following him up the mountain with angry mutters and constantly slipping. Percy had half a mind to tie them together to keep his brother from falling off the mountain. “It’s like having a tail.”

“It is not.”

“Sort of.”

“No.”

“Maybe.”

“Perseus,” Triton groaned and sent some snow at his face. Percy yelped before turning to glare at him. “It isn’t like having a tail,” he said simply. Percy wiped the remaining snow off. “Have you ever had a tail? What would you know of it? It’s truly much better-”

“Here we go.”

* * *

Snowboarding was _awesome_. Percy was also awesome at it. A complete win in his book. He figured it would be a lot like skateboarding (another favorite pastime of Percy’s), but this was somehow better. Probably the addition of snow and the fact he was zipping down a mountain at full speed.

“This really is fun for you,” Triton said, mystified when Percy rushed back up to go again. His face was flushed with excitement and hair a complete mess as he fixed his goggles under Triton’s incredulous stare. “You’re just… sliding down a hill. I don’t understand.”

“You would understand if you tried it,” Percy told him and licked his lips. The cold left them numb and chapped, but he hardly cared. “Let’s go higher-”

“Can this be the last one?” Triton asked, pulling his jacket tighter. He was sitting on a bench by one of the ski lifts, still sketching as he watched Percy go up and down the mountain. “I – don’t look at me like that! It’s been three hours!”

“We haven’t even done half the course!”

“That’s your fault,” Triton shrugged. “You just did the same one for thirty minutes,” he said and Percy spluttered. He had been _trying_ to be nice and keep Triton from moving around too much. Good to know his efforts were unappreciated. “Don’t we have to see the Ellie girl?” He wheedled. The fight left Percy at that. Ah, well. That was a good point. Sighing, Percy nodded.

“Fine. Last one,” he grumbled and then brightened. “But for the last one we get to go higher! You can take the lift down – I’ll meet you there,” he said and picked up the board to dash off to the next section of the mountain. He could hear Triton whining loudly in the background, but paid no mind as he climbed.

“Having fun?” A voice asked. Percy turned – tensing on instinct. He relaxed when he saw a girl appearing, also in snowboarding gear, beside him. He glanced down at her legs to look for any Kelli-like qualities, but it appeared as if she was really human.

“It would be better if I had my girlfriend here or something,” he told her and jerked his head over his shoulder. “My brother is kind of a buzzkill.”

"Ponytail guy?"

"Ah, so you've met," Percy said and the girl grinned, glancing over her shoulder in amusement. "Did he say something rude? He's kind of a rude person. Sorry," he tacked on.

"It was my fault. I kind of slipped and knocked him over," she said with a shrug. "I didn't expect him to fall over so easily though."

"Walking isn't his strong suit," he agreed and stepped to the side. "You can go first as recompense for him being an ass," he said. The girl snorted and brushed by. Percy froze. Her form flickered for a moment and a sense of dread twisted in his stomach as a vague recognition settled over him. He took a step back, almost slipping on his board. The girl reached out to steady him.

"Easy there," she smiled sweetly and Percy went to yank away. "Hey are - are you okay?" She asked, smile slipping off of her face. Percy didn't answer - the panic was rising too quickly as he yanked out Riptide, flicking off the cap all in movement. "Whoa, what's with the pen?" The girl - no, not girl. Monster. Spirit. Whatever. Percy just knew she wasn't - couldn't be - "Hello? Are you okay?"

"Get away from me," Percy muttered and the world shifted a bit. Everything was hot. Hot and screams and - "I'll rip your throat out, I _swear-"_

"Okay!" A voice spoke loudly and for a second everything snapped back. He was on the ground - how did he get on the ground? Percy blinked a few times, looking down to see his hands were cut up, blood turning up bright red in the snow with Riptide by his side as his body shuddered. He looked up to see the girl staring back at him with wide eyes and cowering behind someone in front of him.

"Triton?" Percy asked, voice cracking. "What... where...?" He looked around and when he moved, the girl scrambled away. "Get away from her! She's a Keres or Empousa-" he tried, but Triton moved forward to intercept him from getting closer with his hands raised. "Don't turn your _back_ to her! Are you crazy?! She's going to-"

"Perseus. _Perseus,_ " he tried and quickly pulled Riptide away before Percy could reach it. "Stop. She's mortal, stop." He whispered. Percy stared. Mortal? No. No, he had felt her. She wasn't human. Monsters. There were monsters. She was a monster. A monster, a monster, a monster, a monster, a monster, a monster, a monster, a monster, a monster, a monster, a monster, a monster, a monster, a monster, a monster, a monster, a monster, a monster, a monster-

"I - I can call someone," the girl whispered and when Percy's eyes snapped to her she flinched. "Do you need a doctor or...?"

"No, we're fine. Are you okay?" Triton asked with his eyes still fixed on Percy. He hadn't touched him yet, though he was inching closer with his back still towards the not-girl. Percy went to glare at her in warning only to notice a nasty gash on the side of her arm. His mind blanked. What? She didn't turn into golden dust or bleed ichor... but... Riptide couldn't harm a mortal.

"It's just a cut. I'll get it looked at later," she said and then frowned at the ground. "I don't even know where that ice even came from," she said looking around. Percy followed her gaze to see an icicle also thrown to the side, dripping with red blood. "Are you two sure you're okay?" She asked and glanced at Percy warily.

"We're fine," Triton repeated and held out a hand. "Come on. Can I touch you?" He asked. Percy nodded numbly and Triton lightly put a hand on his upper arm to pull him to the side.

"Wha-?" Percy swallowed. His mouth felt dry. "What happened? She... she's... she's a monster," he mumbled. Triton's lips thinned as he glanced over his shoulder to where the girl had retreated.

"No, she was mortal," he said, voice surprisingly soft.

"She was hurt," he said and looked around. "I don't understand. Who hurt her?"

"You... made a weapon from the ice," Triton said slowly and frowned. "You don't remember?" He asked. Percy stared back.

"I have Riptide. Why would I make a weapon?"

Triton's brows raised.

"Part of you must have registered she was mortal."

"I wouldn't have hurt her if I knew she was mortal!" Percy objected loudly. Triton tried to shush him, but Percy had already stepped back - a bit offended at the audacity of him to suggest he would just make an ice-weapon-thingy to stab some random girl with. "She did something to my hea - _ow,"_ he gasped and fell forward. Triton grabbed his arm again.

The world spun.

"What's wrong?"

"I... I think I'm going to... throw up," he said and coughed as his stomach lurched. He didn't though. Instead the world simply shifted again, making him dizzy as he stumbled around.

“You’re going to-? This is why humans should t eat so much,” Triton sighed. Percy ignored him. 

"How... I'm sweating," he noted numbly as he glanced down at his hands. Triton put a hand to his face.

"You're warm-blooded, right?" He asked and Percy tried to register the question. Triton cursed lowly under his breath. "I should have known with the nightmares. Chiron said you were better adjusted than most," he murmured. What? Percy wasn't sure if that would make sense even if the trees were staying still right now. "Right, Perseus? Per-? Hello?" Triton said and snapped his fingers in front of him. Percy blinked slowly. "Eat this." He instructed and pulled out some ambrosia. Percy made a face.

"No, thanks."

"Seriously?" Triton muttered. "Just eat it. I promise you'll feel better."

"Gonna drug me again," Percy muttered and tried to shove him away. Triton sighed.

"No, it's just going to make you calm down."

Percy spent a few seconds working through that one.

"...so... a drug...?" He managed and coughed again when the ground seemed to move. Triton grimaced.

"It's _ambrosia."_

"Didn't pack a lot," Percy murmured. "Emergencies only," he said. Triton said something under his breath that sounded Greek, but Percy couldn't catch it.

"I suppose this wouldn't classify as an emergency for you?" he asked and wrinkled his nose in consideration. "I'll tell you about the kraken," he tried. Percy tilted his head. Hm. Well. Normally, he might be enticed by that, but he also wouldn't be able to understand much of the story like this anyways. "I promise I won't bring you back, okay? Just eat it."

"No."

"For the love of - where did our father even find your mother to create someone as annoying as you?" He asked. Percy tried to sneer in return. He wasn't sure he managed, but it was a valiant attempt all the same.

"Water," Percy managed and tried to stand up. He promptly fell back down. "Sea. At the base of the mountain. I'll be fine." He decided and Triton's eyes widened a bit.

"No. No, Perseus, just-" he said and grabbed his arm to pull him back down. "Just please eat a little, okay? Please?" He asked. Percy groaned. He did say please... Had Triton ever said please before? Grumbling, he took the offered piece and nibbled on it. Relief spread through his body - letting him relax instantly. Triton was still looking at him with unreadable eyes.

"Better?"

"A bit," Percy said and then winced. "Still... a little woozy," he said and looked down the side of the mountain. "It is going to suck to get down from here," he said and then coughed again. "What _is_ this?" He asked. Triton ignored him and instead dusted some snow off his shoulders.

"It's fine. I know how to... I actually know nothing about human sickness," he said warily and then narrowed his eyes. "Do you... think this a human sickness?" He asked slowly. Percy glanced up at him, mystified.

"What else could it be?" He asked. Triton gave a tight smile in return and helped him up. Percy stumbled.

"Walk much?"

"How _dare_ you?" Percy said with a snort. "In my moment of weakness too. Screw you," he grumbled and let Triton start leading him towards the ski lift. "I - ah, okay. Stop. I... pain," he gasped. Triton froze.

"Are you dying?" He asked and then looked around. “I… but what do I do?” Triton demanded. Percy held up a hand. Triton slapped it down. "That's not an answer."

"Let me catch my breath!"

"Let you - ? Gods help this fragile seahorse," he sighed and fixed his grip so Percy wasn't falling to the side. A few more seconds and they were moving again. "Perseus, has this happened before?" He asked. Percy hummed.

"Not like this," he breathed out, unable to elaborate. The ambrosia was still working through him, making him warm and safe and... he yawned. It didn't feel quite like the handcuffs Triton had put on him before. This was different. Comfortable even. So comfortable that the next time he opened his eyes he found himself back in the apartment, sprawled out on the couch with a random bandaid stuck to his forehead while a concerning amount of clattering came from the kitchen.

Huh. Effective. 

"Triton?" He called. His hand reaching instinctively for Riptide. There was a crash and he jolted up - wincing a bit some soreness that came from the snowboarding or his mystery illness - as he walked around the corner to find Triton glowering at a pot. Percy looked down at it before glancing up at his brother.

“You’re alive,” he greeted with an approving nod. “Good to know those mortal bandages do more than stop blood.”

That explained the bandaid on his head at least. He decided it wasn’t worth explaining seeing as Triton very clearly dealing with something else right now as he continued to glare at the pot on the floor. 

"...something stump you?"

"Stump me?" Triton asked and tilted his head. Percy snorted. Right. No trees in the ocean.

"Confuse you?" He corrected himself and Triton gave a heavy sigh before gesturing towards the pot on the ground alongside other things that look as if they had just been flung around.

"Density," he explained and Percy raised an eyebrow. "Things usually float in water - and if they don't I can usually use my powers to keep them floating, so I just throw them where they need to go. Here? They fall. Gravity is a curse and we would all be better if land was a destination of myth," he said dramatically and paused. "Also, I don't know how to cook."

"Yes, I guessed that. Prince and all."

"Eh, that's only part of it."

"What's the other part? Not eating everyday?"

"I'm charming. People like doing things for me," Triton told him and Percy snorted as he bent down to pick up the fallen pot. Pain spiked up again and he let out a small hiss. "Maybe you should... just sit down. It doesn't look like you're completely better," Triton said. Percy wanted to object. After all he had been through so much worse. He wasn't sure why this bout of the flu or whatever was bringing him down. “I have another bandaid.”

Maybe Percy should see an actual doctor. He might die otherwise. 

"What even is this?" Percy asked and rubbed his head. Triton shrugged, not meeting his eyes. "I've had flashbacks and panic attacks before. This is... weirder. I never usually get that sick," he said. Sometimes the panic made him nauseas or whatever, but it had never been like _that_. Usually, Percy felt like he was dying. This hadn't felt like death. It felt... deeper? Like he was slipping into a cave. "And it doesn't usually leave me feeling like this."

"Probably just that combined with normal mortal sickness," Triton said dismissively. Percy frowned. "How are you feeling now?"

"Fine," he decided and then stretched out. "I bet a quick dive in the sea and I'll be good as new," he said and stretched out. Triton stiffened.

"That's not necessary-"

"Yeah, well, we need to find Ellie," Percy yawned. "Make sure no demigods are roaming about and all that. I was thinking maybe we can say we're there for a tour," he said, but faltered when Triton stepped in front of the door. Percy crossed his arms over his chest. "Um, is there something you need?" He asked. Triton looked at him, biting his tongue as he studied him over before running a hand over his face. Percy shook his head. Why was he acting weird?

"I... don't think you should be in the water," Triton finally said. "Besides, I need your help to figure out how _that_ works," he said with a look of trepidation at the stove. Percy wanted to be amused, but was a little stuck on the first part.

He shouldn't be in the water? Why? That seemed like the one place he _should_ be if he wasn't feeling great. Triton must have read his mind because he sighed, running a hand over his face before putting both hands on Percy's arms and steering him towards an empty stool.

"Perseus," he said in a voice so reasonable that Percy already wanted to sucker punch him. "I... we need to talk," he decided.

"We're talking now."

"Sometimes I can't tell if it's the mortality making me feel like I'm dying or you," Triton told him flatly and then leaned back against the counter. Percy gave a sarcastic smile in return. "What has Chiron told you about your powers?" He asked. Percy gave a non-committal shrug. Not much, honestly. He just kind of used them and trained with them. He was never really _taught_ anything. It wasn't like with swordfighting. There was no real exercises. He just... learned on the go. "Perfect," Triton muttered. "Well, they tend to react to our emotions. Mental well-being. You've probably noticed you're more powerful if you're extremely angry or scared or happy."

Percy thought back to St. Helens. To kissing Annabeth after the war. Arguing with Thalia.

"That's a fair assessment," he decided. Triton nodded, looking relieved.

"Well, given recent... events, I think you... are... struggling," he said slowly. Percy narrowed his eyes. "It may cause your powers to be unstable. Going near water will enhance your powers, which probably isn't the best idea given you might not be entirely in control."

Oh.

"That makes sense," Percy said and bit his lip. "I mean, I'm not struggling _that_ much," he added. Triton fixed him with a disbelieving look. "I'm really not."

"Right," Triton said and picked up the abandoned pot. "Do you talk to people about these things?" He asked. Percy grimaced. Who would even he talk to? Annabeth? She had been there with him. What could he say that she didn’t already know? Nico probably wouldn't want to sit there and relive his trauma due to Percy's ranting. Mr. D? He knew that was the approach Nico took, but Percy had never forgiven the god for what happened in the coliseum. Chiron? Maybe, but he was in charge of so many things... it seemed unfair to put this on him.

His mother? Never. He usually censored his stories for her as it was. She didn't need to know what he had lived through. Paul would tell his mom - besides, he should be enjoying time with Estelle. Grover was viable, of course, but Percy already put so much on him with their empathy link. It seemed cruel to burden him with more of Percy's emotions. Besides, he was out there trying to do his lord of wild thing... Thalia honestly seemed like the best option, but she was with the Hunt.

"I don't need to," he decided. Triton sighed. "Okay, that's not necessary. Why do you even care?" He asked, a little irritated as he watched Triton pick up an egg and stare at it.

"I just need to bring you back in one piece," Triton informed him and threw the egg into the pot without cracking it. "I can't do that if you-" he began and cut himself off. Percy waited. "Maybe Apollo's children would have some sort of remedy for you."

Weird.

"Triton," Percy said slowly and got up to grab his arm. "Is there something you're not telling me?"

Triton blinked. Something about it seemed far too innocent.

"Like what?" He asked and flicked his hand so some water filled the pot on the counter. "Honestly, Perseus. I barely even tolerate you. What would I possibly gain by lying about your health?" He asked and then pointed a finger at him. "Though, perhaps, it is a sign you should let me bring you home-"

"No."

"I hope you get turned into a eel," Triton said and picked up the pot to move. Percy watched in exasperation as he placed in the air directly beside him and let go. There was a long pause as the pot crashed back to the ground. Triton stared down. Then he looked up at Percy. "I am so sorry you had to live like this for so long."

"I think that's the most sincere you've ever been with me."

"This place is just so awful."

"I've been to Tartarus."

"And I truly believe that this is worse."

" _Wow-"_

* * *

Due to Percy's embarrassing breakdown, they had missed the window to stop by the mental hospital and check on Ellie, which was... distressing.

"I thought you said she was probably fine?" Triton asked as Percy paced up and down the apartment. "We can just go tomorrow. Calm down."

"Visitors aren't allowed until next week!"

"Okay, then we go next week-"

"But what if I'm wrong? What if I'm wrong and she's a demigod and monsters get her and I wasn't there to stop it and she dies or is hurt or-" he began and the room flickered. For a moment, he found himself in a junkyard with screams and cries and - _Bianca._ Instinctively, he went to move after. His heart thudded in his ears, overshadowing the voice that whispered she was already dead. Had been for years. He took another step forward only to find something obstructing him from moving.

"Perseus," Triton's voice came and the scene vanished. The not-god was standing in front of him with a hand placed on either side of Percy's shoulders. He sighed when Percy looked around before realizing what happened. Was it like this with mortals? When they had flashbacks? His brain felt like it was full of cotton. "Do you always put the responsibilities of strangers upon yourself?" He asked. Percy glared.

"If I don't then nobody else will," he snapped back. Triton raised an eyebrow. "It isn't like the gods care about their kids."

Silence. Triton's hands slipped down to his elbows. Part of Percy wanted to shrug away from the touch, but he found it seemed to ground him. A piece of this world keeping him here and not in the depths of his memories. His mind flicked to the mortal girl from earlier. Gods, he had been such an ass. He should find her. Apologize. Then again she might not want to see him. She had been scared... of him. He had scared her. He had _hurt_ her-

"You think very loudly," Triton interrupted and shook his head. "Perhaps that's what happens when your brain is left unused for so long," he said and pulled him slightly to the side. "Come on."

"To where?" Percy asked. Triton walked to a closet and pulled out two fishing rods, which... huh. Percy totally forgot they had those. "I thought you said I shouldn't be near water right now."

"Don't get in the water then," he threw back and tossed a pole at him. "Didn't you say you wanted to come here to relax? To escape the gods and demigod responsibilities?" He asked and Percy opened his mouth. "If you want to check on the girl then fine. We can do that - but if you're not going to let me take you home then the least you can do is make sure this trip isn't _wasted_. You have to at least try to fulfill your objective in coming here."

It sounded so reasonable when he put it look that. Percy swallowed. He thought to Ellie. Maybe... maybe they could break in? Just to be sure? Triton snapped his fingers in front of Percy's face.

"Fine," he sighed and shook his head. "Only for a bit though... and only so I can catch some barracudas," he added, suddenly reminded of his mortal enemies. Triton blinked.

"Barracudas don't live in - nevermind," he decided quickly. "Let's just go. I want to draw something."

And so there they were on the dock again. Triton's pole was beside him as he focused instead on sketching the landscape. His hair wasn't being held back in it's normal ponytail and instead loose. Percy felt a stab of pleasure to see it was just as messy as his own when worn freely. He had been planning on remarking on it when his phone rang.

"Hazel!" He greeted brightly and Triton peered over warily. "What's up?"

"Didn't you say that one was dead?" Triton whispered as Percy tried to wave him away. Luckily, Hazel either didn't hear or mind the comment. Not that she had much of a chance to react.

"Hi, Per-"

"IT'S HIM!" Leo's voice boomed, almost making Percy drop the phone. "THE MAN! THE MYTH! THE LEGEND!"

"Leo, stop it," Hazel chastised. Leo only chuckled maniacally from the other end of the line. Percy could hear some murmurs and a few muffled hellos from what sounded like Will Solace and members of the legion. He shifted a little uncomfortably. Why was Will there? Not that Percy disliked Will. No, quite the opposite. Will was great! It was just... Percy didn't quite understand what he was doing in New Rome. Or was Hazel in Camp Half-Blood? He wasn't sure. Either way, he didn't like the idea of even more people getting involved in this when he was already inconveniencing so many others. Will wasn't actually Percy's friend. He was Nico's boyfriend. Percy and Will had no real relationship, so it seemed unfair for him to be potentially be sticking out his neck for him.

Besides, Percy wasn't blind. He couldn't pretend like Will - as nice as he was - wouldn't have a _reason_ to not be bitter with Percy. Almost everyone had a reason to be bitter with Percy.

Maybe he was jumping to conclusions. Maybe Will was just here with Nico or visiting Hazel or... any number of other things.

"-I'm talking to the man who has spit in the faces of the gods. Let me be excited!" Leo's voice interrupted his thoughts before redirecting his focus back to Percy. "Rumor is that they sent a god after you. Will says it's Triton, right? That's what Nico told you? And he can't force you back? Amazing."

"Hello, demigod," Triton greeted coldly. The phone went silent.

"...sup," Leo finally said. "How are you, my lord? Huge fan. Was totally on your side in _the_ _Little Mermaid_. Ariel was being ridiculous. You were right to blow all her stuff up." He added on. Percy fought a smile as he glanced at the outraged look on Triton's face.

" _That is not based off of true events and -_ has everyone seen this movie?" Triton asked, turning to Percy. He only smiled in return. "How could my father not tell me this existed?" He demanded. Percy shrugged.

"Maybe he finds it as funny as the rest of us."

Triton shot him a venomous look before Hazel cleared her throat. Percy's attention shifted to her. To be honest, Hazel was probably one of his favorite people at the moment. If asked to murder someone for her then he was almost positive he would do it regardless of the context. Not that Hazel would ever ask such a thing of him, but it was good to consider.

"Percy, how are you?" Hazel continued. Triton scoffed.

"I'm fine!" Percy said and shot Triton a warning look. "We're fishing right now. You know, I've never really been fishing before. It's a little boring, but, like, in a good way," he decided. Triton snorted and picked up his pole, yanking it up so that a fish came flying out of the water. "...show off," he added under his breath. Triton reacted by slapping him... with the fish. "What is wrong with you?!" He shouted as Triton smiled.

"Apologies," Triton said (to the fish. Not Percy. The fish deserved an apology too, certainly, but it seemed as if in Triton's eyes that using the fish as a weapon was a necessary evil for his childish cause). "I will bestow a blessing on you when I am a god again for your service."

"Seriously?" Percy asked, wiping his face free of fish residue. Triton shrugged.

"Father said I wasn't allowed to slap you-"

"You punched me within five seconds of seeing me."

"Well, he didn't mention punching you, did he?" Triton said and then nodded to where he was placing the fish in the water. "Nor did he mention anything about using a fish to slap you," he explained and nodded graciously at the fish. "Thank you, beloved friend," he said in a voice so godly and mature that Percy was almost inclined to believe they were discussing something other than hitting him.

"What's happening over there?" Leo asked. Percy glared.

"Nothing," he muttered. Hazel hummed over the line.

"Well, that sounds like fun," she said, ignoring some snickering in the background. "I'm glad you're taking some time to yourself," she added. Percy felt a stab of guilt there, but didn't say anything. There was a note of concern in Hazel's voice that took priority. "Hey, look," she continued gently. Percy narrowed his eyes in askance. "I don't want to freak you out, but... you should know that... the gods summoned Grover..." she told him.

Percy blinked.

"Grover? Why?" He asked, bewildered. "He's doing his wilderness thing, right? That doesn't have anything to do with me," he said. Triton tilted his head, mouthing 'Grover' to himself as if trying to figure out who they were talking about. Silence buzzed on the other end of the phone. "Besides, it sounds like only Athena and my dad are upset. Why would the other gods care? I mean, obviously they've all be looking for a good excuse to blow me up and this is perfect, but outside of that?" He snorted. Nothing. "Um, Hazel?"

"Nico said they summoned our dad too."

"Hades is on Olympus?" Triton asked and then pursed his lips. "I don't understand. They have no proof of anything," he said. Percy turned to him. Triton didn't seem to notice. He was too busy frowning at the phone - fingers tapping on the dock with his lips in a thin line. Percy cleared his throat to regain his attention.

"Proof of _what?"_ He asked, but Hazel hadn't heard the question to let Triton answer.

"Annabeth and Jason are trying to get an audience of some sort. Chiron is apparently acting weird too. He said they summoned Grover because of the empathy link you two have?" She asked. From behind them the water stopped. Percy blinked, turning to see the waves lapping against the dock had frozen so that it was almost like someone had stuck them in a photograph.

"Empathy link?" Triton repeated. Percy opened his mouth to respond, but was cut off by Triton going white. " _You have an empathy link with someone?!"_ He hissed. Percy jumped. Why was he so pissed? Before he could respond, Triton ripped the phone out of his hand and ended the call, tossing it to the side.

"Hey! What-"

"How could you not have mentioned that?!" Triton yelled and tugged a his scalp. "The gods have him too - _fuck_ , dad is going to kill me," he muttered and stood up, bitterly kicking a rock into the water. Percy was momentarily too stunned to really respond. Him and Triton didn't get along, but it had never... well, never had Triton just freaked out on him like this.

"Why?" Percy frowned and then replayed the conversation. "You're not telling me something! I knew it!"

"We're leaving," Triton decided, ignoring him completely. "You need to be in Atlantis before they send someone else and we both end up dead in a ditch somewhere-"

"No! I'm not going anywhere unless you tell me whatever it is you're being weird about. Besides, we need to find Ellie-"

"She is not your responsibility. Nor mine," Triton snapped back at him. "Look, we can send someone else up here," he reasoned. Percy shook his head. That wasn't fair. Why would they do that when Percy could just take care of it now? "I'm really losing my patience with you," Triton growled. "Who even is this Grover? Can you trust him?"

"Yes, of course, he's my best friend!" Percy said and stood up. "What is going on?"

"Maybe it would be safer to stay here..." Triton murmured and made a face. "Gods, I don't want to," he whined to himself. Percy threw his hands up. "Why do you make everything harder?" He asked bitterly. From beside them, the phone rang again. Percy reached for it only for Triton to snag it. Percy scowled and the ground rumbled in warning. Triton's expression shifted as he looked around - not quite nervous, but... wary.

"You and I need to talk after this," he finally said and threw the phone back at him. Percy muttered a few choice words under his breath before answering.

"Hazel?"

"No, but she did just text to say you hung up on her," Piper's voice greeted merrily. "Hi, again! Is your brother with you?" She asked. Percy looked over at Triton and scowled.

"I am," Triton answered before Percy could. "Half-brother, by the way."

"Sure, sure," Piper said and the phone beeped, requesting video chat instead. Percy accepted with a hint of caution. Piper's face appeared with a bright smile. "Your voice is cool," she decided with a wave at both of them. Triton frowned. "Like, you sound... Not British," she decided and then wrinkled her nose. "What accent is that? Is it a rich-kid accent? HEY NICO! COME OVER HERE AND TALK TO US SO WE KNOW WHAT RICH KIDS SOUND LIKE!"

"YOU ARE LITERALLY THE CHILD OF A MOVIE STAR, MCLEAN!" Nico's voice shouted back. Percy could see his outline in the background Iris Messaging Will, Leo, and Hazel with assurances they had gotten Percy back on the phone. Triton was looking at Piper with his mouth slightly parted in bewilderment.

"I... we don't speak English in Atlantis," Triton said slowly. "I normally speak Atlantean-"

"It's a fish accent!" Piper gasped. "A rich-fish accent!" She declared. Percy coughed to try and hide his laughter. He honestly hadn't thought much about Triton's voice. He had known it sounded different above water, but he hadn't identified that slight lilt of an accent. Almost a little sing-songy. Now that it was pointed out it was a little... Greek and Swedish? Mixed together? Percy was no expert to really identify it and it was too soft to even notice all that much. Percy wondered what Atlantean sounded like. Part of him wanted to ask, but decided to save it for when he wasn't mad at him.

"Do not - okay, we're moving on," Triton said and pinched the bridge of nose. "Demigods..."

"Don't you like my friends?" Percy asked sweetly. "Piper, why do the gods want Grover? Do I need to come back to get him?" He asked with a hint of concern. They wouldn't punish Grover for this, would they? Or were they using their empathy link to try and trick him somehow? Triton tensed beside him. "I think the prince might know something, but he's being a jackass," he added.

"I will grab another fish and hit you again," Triton muttered. Percy went to respond, but another weird wave of emotion pulled him back. "Perseus?" He asked. Percy blinked up at him. What? He felt another pull, but ignored it.

"Sorry, just zoned out for a second there," he breathed out. Triton's brows came together, but before he could respond, Percy had already turned his attention back to the phone... or... where...? The phone was gone. "Triton, did you move the -?" He started, but went quiet when he found the dock was empty. What in the name of...? He stood up, looking around to see it wasn't just the dock either. The restaurants, beach, shops behind them - all empty.

"Hello, Percy."

Almost empty.

When he turned Luke standing in front with glowing gold eyes. For a moment his blood went cold, fear stilling him as he tried to move away. From somewhere out in the distance, he could hear his name being called, but it withered away as the scene melted until it was him and Luke alone in what could have been an empty piece of the ocean floor.

"This would happen to you," Luke noted as his eyes dimmed from gold to blue once more. "The gods should have killed you the second the prophecy was fulfilled. You're too dangerous to have _trauma_ ," he noted with a mocking laugh. Percy opened his mouth to respond, but his voice was gone. The current around them shifted, pushing him back towards a spot of darkness behind him. "Especially given how... emotional you are," he mused, voice going unnaturally soft. Percy tried to will the water around them - tried to push it forward, but Luke only smiled. "Are you sure you want to do that?" He asked.

"Do what?" Percy asked and felt a surge of relief when his voice worked again. Luke's smile grew at the sound of it.

"Go ahead. Use your powers here. Break it."

Break what? Percy didn't understand what was going on. All he knew was that everything had gone cold and a sense of cold emptiness was beginning to swirl in his stomach. He reached out - wanting to grab Luke and... do something. Pull him away? Save him? Hurt him? Push him? He couldn't be sure. All he knew was that there was something separating them. Not quite glass, but it felt cool had hard under his touch.

"Percy." Luke said, but Percy ignored him. He was too busy pressing against the barrier.

"Percy."

" _Percy_."

The ocean disappeared. For a second the world went dark and he felt himself almost slipping again - being dragged before chattering caught his attention. Voices overlapping one another with booms and crackles bursting in between. Percy blinked again. He was in the throne room of Olympus. A whisper of fear jolted through him before he realized nobody seemed too startled by his presence... or to notice him at all. It was then that he noticed Grover.

The empathy link.

Okay... okay, he knew what _this_ was. This had happened before. Mainly when Grover was with Polyphemus in the Sea of Monsters... Mainly when either Percy or Grover were in trouble, but it wasn't whatever weird conversation was going on with Luke. Percy narrowed his eyes suspiciously. He had known his friend had been summoned to Olympus, but... what was this? Was Grover trying to warn him of something?

"-ridiculous! Shouldn't even be alive!"

"This could have been avoided if we hadn't be so lenient to begin with, you know."

"He's a _child_. Enough. All of you-"

"Child or not, do we just let him destroy the world?"

"He's destroyed nothing yet!"

"Yet! Exactly!"

"Enough," Zeus' voice crackled over them. The room settled down. "I understand the concern. These are concerning times-" he began, but was cut off by a derisive scoff beside him. Zeus stiffened. "I assume you have something to say, brother?" He asked coolly. Percy curiously turned his attention to where Poseidon was sitting. He wasn't in his usual beach clothes, but instead what looked to be something very royal with a silk sash across his chest and shells adorning him like armor. Something about it sent an unsettling message. A warning of some sort.

"The irony is all," he said, voice clipped and taut. "You act as if my son is the only threat at the moment."

"He is-"

"Do you not have two children of your own, Zeus? And what of Hades' two children? Why is it mine - who has done nothing but serve us - being singled out?" He asked. Hades gave a sharp laugh.

"Thalia Grace has immortality. It has stabilized any potential for a degrading condition," Zeus said easily, looking unconcerned by whatever accusation Poseidon had just thrown out. "And out of all our children, Jason would be the most stable-"

"I think that credit goes to my girl," Hades said - form flickering momentarily to show Pluto before disappearing again. Poseidon scoffed.

"She came back from the _dead_ , Hades! And what of your boy? The di Angelo child? You want to tell me he isn't as lost and beaten down as Perseus? He has endured much even for a demigod. Yet none of us consider him a threat-"

"Watch how you speak of my son," Hades warned and the room cooled considerably. Percy could feel Grover's anxiety rise as it. "Besides, he has been stabilized."

"Stabilized isn't the word I would use," Dionysus spoke up quietly and Hades glared. "But he has had more improvement than the Jackson boy. He speaks to me. Hades looks after him and the Solace boy has helped some-"

"Yes, I'm sure Hades does look after him," Poseidon cut in darkly. "I thought intervening in our children's lives was illegal, Zeus? Or do we allow Hades special privileges? If you would all allow me to take my son to Atlantis until he is well again then there would be no objections from me."

"Ha!" Hera sniffed. "You want him there to hide his deterioration. Tell me, Poseidon, does your son even understand what is happening to him?" She asked. Poseidon's eyes burned - turning white with glowing, hot anger. Hera only tilted her head in return.

"We don't even know _if_ Perseus has the ailment," Artemis finally spoke up. "However, we cannot monitor the risk he poses while in Alaska. We agreed to humor Poseidon and observe from afar to ensure his recovery after the giant war. However, him breaking down and running off like this... is not a promising sign. Perhaps we should ask someone more knowledgeable," she asked with a nod in front of them.

Everyone's eyes shifted to Grover.

Oh no.

Percy felt Grover's fear - heart speeding up tremendously as twelve Olympians all stared down at him. Poseidon's eyes seemed to be the most intense. There was a silent threat in them as he stared. Grover swallowed.

"Satyr," Zeus began and Dionysus' lips thinned. "It is known you have a connection to Perseus Jackson's mind and emotions. Can you feel them now?" He asked. Grover shifted slightly.

"Barely. It's weak."

"He's lying," Apollo said immediately the council all murmured. Grover bleated.

"No, my lord! I... can make out some of it, but usually it is much stronger. Him being so far with little godly power near him makes it hard," he explained. Another wave of whispers washed over.

"And what can you make out?" Athena asked calmly. Poseidon's eyes snapped to her - his irritation suddenly washing over the room at her voice. Athena ignored him.

"Um," Grover said and licked his lips. "He's... often annoyed," he began and then gave a nervous laugh. "I think that may be Lord Triton's doing."

A few condescending laughs followed. Athena leaned back, tapping her fingers on the arm of her throne with a withering look at Poseidon.

"It seems as if sending your eldest has become more of a hindrance than a solution, Poseidon."

"Unless Triton annoys him out of Alaska," Hermes said good-naturedly. He was silenced by Poseidon's glare.

"Perseus nor Triton may understand this, but if my son is affected by the ailment then Triton would be his best hope at this moment. He understands grief better than most gods - as I believe you remember, Athena," he added. Percy had never seen Athena so much as flinch before, but something about his words must as struck something because she closed her eyes and took a long breath. Her knuckles turned white as she clenched them into fists. "You know, it's funny," Poseidon added coolly. "If your daughter was a child of the Big Three then we would be having this conversation about her."

"My daughter is fine."

"How blessed by the Fates you are, Athena... to have been able to deafen yourself to our children's screams in Tartarus. I don't think Hades or I had such a reprieve. Or perhaps we are the only ones who care," Poseidon told her, leaning forward. The room collectively leaned away.

"Choose your next words carefully," Athena whispered - literally glowing. "And don't speak as if you have done right by any child of yours! If your son thought so highly of you then why has he run off despite your request to stay within the limits given to him? He doesn't respect you. He'll break like all your demigods have a proclivity to do-"

"Percy won't break."

Percy smiled. Grover - even while terrified and threatened with the forces of twelve all-powerful beings - always had his back. His voice had hardened, chin jutting out as he gave Athena a determined look.

"I wasn't around during the World Wars," Grover said slowly. "I haven't seen what you're talking about firsthand, but I know Percy would never hurt anyone. He's survived everything else so far and even if he isn't okay now - not saying he isn't - but if that's the case then you need to factor in how much help he has. His fatal flaw is loyalty, right? Well, it goes both ways. Annabeth isn't going to let him... you know," he said. Percy didn't know. Not really, but he was getting a little concerned the more they talked. "Neither would Jason or Piper or Hazel or any of the others. He's going to be fine," he said firmly. A pause. "Um, my...lieges," he winced. Percy bit back a fond laugh.

"There you have it," Poseidon said and clapped his hands together. "You summoned him here for his expertise, brother. The satyr has spoken," he said with a nod. Demeter rolled her eyes.

"Calm yourself, Poseidon. I have faith in your boy too, but that doesn't resolve the problem. We can't decide if he's a threat if he's where we can't see him."

"Can we really even blame Perseus?" Apollo asked, rubbing a temple with a wicked look at Poseidon. "Didn't Amphitrite run away to the godless lands too? Clearly it is something about Poseidon that sends all these poor sea-blooded creatures running - no, _swimming_ \- away," he chuckled. Hermes grinned. "Maybe if he is told the truth he would return," he said reasonably.

"No, I told Triton to keep it to himself," Poseidon said quickly. "It could upset him further-"

"I thought you said he was stable?"

"A _precaution,"_ his father snapped. Percy opened his mouth - confusion washing over him as he tried to dissect everything that was happening. Dionysus chuckled and Poseidon turned to him. "What now?"

"I just enjoy you in this role, uncle," he said, leaning back into his throne. "I've been saying for centuries that your kin are hard to control. I'm glad to see you have firsthand experience with it now," he smiled. Poseidon glowered back. Unfortunately for him, the comment must have resonated with a few others because there were a few other peals of laughter that followed.

"Perhaps this will give you a better understanding of your own father, Poseidon. Eating him would at least keep the child in one place."

"Does Amphitrite know what you've done to Triton? Could you let me be there when you tell her?"

"Imagine controlling seventy percent of the world and not being able to control one demigod."

"It appears Triton is having similar issues given that they have not yet returned."

"Maybe the boy converted him."

"Ha! My children have never caused such trouble-"

"Enough," Zeus called and slammed his hand down on the arm of his chair. "We may all ridicule Poseidon later on," he said. Percy scoffed - a little unsure if he was amused or offended by this turn of events. "For now, we must prepare for the child's return. If Triton fails to bring him back in a timely manner then we must find another way to monitor him. Athena? Suggestions?" He asked.

Athena didn't answer. She looked too deep in thought. Percy realized with a jolt that she was staring at where Grover was still standing. Did she realize Percy was there? Her gaze shifted and Percy found himself staring directly into her eyes - a chill went down his back.

"I suggest we wait a few more days before taking action," she said slowly, not tearing her eyes off of Percy. "I trust in Lord Triton's abilities to reason with the unreasonable. Besides, my daughter has vouched for this one. I worry if we push too far we could make an enemy of her as well..." she murmured. A few gods scoffed at that and Athena's eyes finally tore away. "We were dependent on demigods on the past two wars alone. It would be wise of us not to make enemies of their leaders," she said and gave a vague gesture. "Especially if we might be forced to eliminate one as it is."

"Perseus," someone said, but Percy couldn't see who had spoken. It sounded familiar. "Perseus, wake up," it instructed. The throne room shook - not that anyone noticed. _"Percy!"_

Light suddenly blinded him. Choking, Percy rolled over, briefly registering he was on the dock again with his phone abandoned and Triton desperately shaking his arm. There was blood again. His blood. He wasn't sure how he knew - possibly because it was only on the palms on his hands... almost as if he really had been pressing against something. Maybe he had. His skin was red with angry blisters that extended to his fingertips.

"Percy," Triton's voice said and there was a rough shake that jarred him. "Are you dying? Say something!" He instructed. Percy blinked a few times before shaking his head in an effort to rid himself of the weird spinning sensation.

"Did you just call me Percy?" He asked and Triton paused. "Aw, you're starting to like me," he said, voice strained. Triton closed his eyes.

"What?"

"You sound worried - and you called me Percy not Perseus," he said and sprawled out on the dock. The sky was clear above. Cloudless. Godless. And yet, Percy was still having a sucky day full of blackouts and weird demigod dreams. "You like me," he decided and risked a glance at Triton. "Does that mean I get to hear about the kraken now?" He asked hopefully.

"About... the...?" Triton managed and shook his head. "You just passed out."

"I know," Percy mused and then frowned as he glanced back up at the sky. "I should be panicking more, shouldn't I?"

"You're dissociating," Triton informed him flatly. Percy nodded. That sounded right. Silence followed. "Can you move?" Triton finally asked. Percy hummed. He wasn't really sure. Didn't really care. "Eat some ambrosia," Triton told him and broke off a piece of the square. Percy wanted to argue they only had a finite supply, but was too tired to argue.

"Hey," Percy said and sat up with a frown. Triton raised an eyebrow. "It... doesn't taste like anything," he said and looked at the piece in his hand. "Can ambrosia go bad?" He asked. More silence. Had he broken Triton?

"How is this happening to you?" He finally asked. Percy tilted his head. "You're so young."

"I'm going to be eighteen soon," Percy informed him. "So not that young."

At that, Triton's lips twitched as he grabbed their fishing poles and pulled them up the dock.

"Fine, you win," he said after several seconds of silence. Percy bit into another piece of his tasteless ambrosia. "I'll tell you about the kraken."

Percy looked up at him. What had his father really sent him here to do? They were... kind of friends now, right? If Percy was honest with him then surely Triton would tell him what was going on, right? Triton lightly shook him again.

"No? How about snowboarding? I'll try it myself if you stop looking at me like that," he wheedled and Percy slowly sat up. So much for his vacation. He considered. Percy didn't pride himself on being manipulative. It was one of his least favorite things about himself, but... it was a trait that gotten him out of a few tight situations. A survival tactic... and part of being manipulative was not revealing how much you knew.

"You tell me about the kraken _and_ we go snowboarding," he decided. Triton shook his head. "Fine, either that or you tell me why the gods took Grover."

A pause.

"...I hate you. Let's grab the damn boards."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Also, if you wanna see [my versions of what Percy, Triton, Poseidon, etc... all look like ](https://caffeinatedflumadiddlebutpjo.tumblr.com/post/645642416644292608/me-using-artbreeder-to-make-visuals-for) then I made a thing in Artbreeder... figured I would share since I spent two hours making that instead of writing this lol.
> 
> As per usual, my actual plots are almost never clear and also completely transparent all at once. One day I'll get the mix right lol. We should get a full explanation about what's happening with Percy soon enough.


End file.
